Home
by Ging3rSnap5
Summary: Mikey comes home with a sick girl in his arms. For some reason everyone's in on letting her stay. Everyone, except Raph. Will the two of them end each other or will a friendship and respect bloom and possibly turn into something more. Raph/OC. NOT beastiality. 2014 TMNT movie.
1. Chapter 1

All right, let me know if this story is worth continuing.

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

I'm always angry. Ever since I could remember, I've always been angry. Angry at everything and everyone. It's got me into trouble in the past and I fear the future don't look so good either. Shell, I used to be so angry with my brother for being picked leader over me. But I've come to understand that he wasn't _picked_; he was always leader. Meh, it's a crappy job anyway, right? All sorts of responsibilities and stuff. Leo's good with that kind of jazz. I might not have been the best candidate. Like I said I get a little hot headed sometimes. I can be a little scary. Intimidating. I know, trust me. Mikey has told me a thousand times how scary I look when I'm mad. Which is all the time apparently. Brothers can be such a pain.

Leo and his permanent know-it-all stamp on his forehead. After all this time he still thinks he's stronger than me. Don't get me wrong; dear sweet Fearless can be the leader if he wants. But we all know I'm the stronger fighter.

Donnie is probably the most normal but then again, when I hear him speak about some new project he's working on, all those extra long words he likes to use; immediate headache.

And Mikey. Mikey's a little punk with a big mouth. His dreams include becoming hotdog eating champion and professional video game player. Not the brightest crayon in the box for sure. He's no Donnie. But his heart is always in the right place and he's not as reckless as what he once was. So then… what the shell is he holding in his arms right now?

"Put it back!" I've now yelled for the fourth time. To my left I hear Don speaking in his fast-paced voice; probably going through all the possible outcomes of this particular scenario. His gibberish was beginning to kick me in the brain. On the other side I can see Leo pacing back and forth. After a second of pondering he stopped and just stared at Mikey.

Here we go. Leo's gonna lay it down with some wise leadership speech. My brother opened his mouth then shut it abruptly.

_Come on._ I practically growled.

"Mikey," he paused. _Come on Fearless, don't got all day. _

"What the shell?" he shrugged, looking all defeated and not very leader-like.

_Nope. Didn't expect that._ Leo's hands flew into the air then slumped back down, looking exhausted. I almost grinned. It was the same look of exhaustion he used to get when Mike would bring random animals back to our home. Only this was no animal.

"Trust me guys," Our little brother looked at all of us, begging for understanding.

"I had no choice." A nervous smile plastered on his face.

Very unsatisfied with the answer given I marched up to my brother and pulled the extra large trench coat we use for going to the surface out of the way to reveal a face; a human face. A girl. A girl cradled lightly yet for some reason protectively in Mikey's arms.

"Put it back!" I pointed at the girl and growled at my brother.

"I was gonna. But she was sick and freezing so I brought her to a hospital. But there were so many people I couldn't get near it. I thought about leaving her cause I knew this was a bad idea and you guys would all start yelling at me if I brought a girl home." He paused and chuckled to himself. "Brought a girl home. I'm the first to bring a girl ho–"

"Mikey." Leo urged.

"Yeah, and if you didn't notice, we are yelling at you!" I yelled, my frustration growing. I mean, what is this shellbrain thinking? This is a human girl! We don't interact with humans, let alone invite them into our home.

Leo shot me a look before turning his attention back to Mikey who was holding the girl more firmly to his plastron.

"Chill guys. Believe me. I just stumbled upon her. She wasn't moving and she was freezing to death. Should I have left her to become an ice babesicle?"

"No."

"Yes." The word escaped my lips before I could think. Wonderful, another glare from Fearless.

"I'm sorry, dudes. I couldn't leave someone to die. We're supposed to be heroes. So, can I keep it?" Mikey pleaded with his eyes. Oh no, that was not going to work this time. I checked on Leo and Donnie to make sure they were with me. Donnie rubbed his chin and I could practically see his mind start to waver from getting the human outta here to diagnosing her health. Ugh, shell. At least Fearless will be with me on this one.

"Leo," I began, only to stop at the look my other brother wore. I know this look. He was breaking. Before my eyes I can see his thoughts change from family safety to concern for the human girl.

"Leo, you can't be ser – are you guys kidding me?" I couldn't believe it. Did they even think this through? I stared at Leo. Can't he see how stupid this is?

Without so much as a single glance my way he motioned for Mikey to follow him. From the direction we were going, Leo's room seemed to be the place they were headed. He's actually serious about this?

"Set her down on my bed." he said calmly. Almost as once as she was on the cot Donnie was hovering over her, checking her vitals or whatever he does. Mikey was watching his brother with interest. I took this moment to convince Leo of his bad decision.

"Leo, you can't be serious. What's Splinter going to say?" I tried.

"Splinter isn't here to make that decision. And we don't have a week to wait." He shook his head and gnawed at his lip.

Man, I never thought I'd say this, but I wish Splinter were here to kick some sense into our Leader here. What was the rat doing? Oh right, meditation. Ugh, I remember how long Leo was away for his meditation. Suddenly a month didn't sound to bad. My mind drifted from Splinter back to Leo.

His face frowned in confusion and I could see his brain going to work. In a short second his face changed from confusion to final decision.

"We can't let her die." he said sternly.

"I'm not to sure she'll even make the night." We heard Donnie's voice from beside the cot. A small whimper from Mikey struck me in the gut. I didn't like having my little brother sad, but this was insane and dangerous.

"You're going to let a human stay not knowing whether she'll survive the night?" I was angry now. Well, more angry than usual.

"Raph, this isn't your decision." Leo frowned and watched me closely.

"Right, this is yours." I clenched my teeth. Leo rubbed his eyes knowing full well exactly where this was going.

"Cause you're the leader." I growled. Why was he making such a stupid mistake? I would never put my family in such danger. I bit my lip. Yeah, I make mistakes but this was ridiculous. A leader is supposed to keep his family safe._ This_, I glanced at the human on the cot. Beside, Mikey was getting all jumpy and I could see his eagerness. _This_ was not safe.

I looked up to Leo once again and felt the burn in my throat: the usual burn I got when I was about to say some really terrible things. Before they had the chance to well up and spill over, I clamped my mouth shut and ground my teeth together. _No_, I closed my eyes; I am not going to lose it. I tried calming my breathing and slowing my heart rate. My training has been proving quite useful lately.

My anger is my biggest fault. In the past it has been the cause of much pain for my brothers, Splinter, and myself. I hurt people. I don't want to hurt the people I love anymore.

Finally feeling my heart beat slow, I sighed angrily. _Fine._

"Whatever." I mumbled under my breath before marching my way out of Leo's room.

* * *

><p>Very soon I found myself in the training dojo. My feet automatically took me to the punching bag. With one swift swing of my arm, the still bag was now rocking back and forth. The impact felt familiar and the sensation, calming. This is what I do. I hit things when I'm mad.<p>

The memories of beating my brothers crawled back into my mind. Mikey sure had a way of making me angry but Leo… Leo was always a whole new level of frustration. We used to fight all the time. Now, just most of the time. But it's getting better, we haven't fought in two months and I was proud of that.

But today… I grit my teeth. What is he thinking? If she survives the night and gets better, what? Are we going to shake our finger and say…

"So don't go tellin' no one, kay?" I murmured. And of course, like planned, she won't tell anyone about us. Our existence will be kept secret. Then end. Happily ever after. I raised my arm and rubbed the back of my head. _This is insane._ I ceased my punching and thought.

If she doesn't make it through the night then we won't have that problem would we? Shell, I'm horrible. True. But still, it would mean my family would be safe. The plan was already forming in my head. I know what will happen already. Leo will tell us that we should all take turns watching the human throughout the night. I will not disappoint. And then the tragedy and my shock of realizing she's not breathing will leave me frantic. I'll yell for Donnie and he'll be too late. Bada bing bada boom. Unfortunate. We're home free. Safe and sound.

It was a horrible plan. I almost winced at the shear brutality of it. If they ever found out… I shuddered. _They would hate me._

I hesitated.

"For my family."

* * *

><p>I was right. Leo was always too easy to read. Always for justice and good: thinking of people. But what about our family? I guess today I'm going to have to be that person.<p>

"Hey." Mikey yawned and waved me into the room. I brushed through the door just as Mikey stood from where he sat and stretched. _What a wimp._ It was only a few hours and he was already tired. I felt the corners of my mouth begin to turn up, but before they could make out a definite smirk, I stopped and drew them down into my usual frown.

"Okay dude, her fever is still running high. Keep her warm with the blankets cause," he was interrupted by a shiver that crawled all the way up his spine.

"Ugh, it's freezing down here." His teeth chattered.

I grunted. His eyes went from me to the girl on the bed. I rolled my eyes. _He's gonna kill me if he finds out._

"Thanks bro."

I stopped and peered at my younger brother. He smiled kindly and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I know you don't agree and stuff. But it's the right thing to do. So yeah." he was drawling off. He looked really tired and his grateful face was beginning to make me upset.

"Yeah, whatever. Just go to bed." I mumbled. Mikey nodded and patted my shoulder once more before letting his arm fall to his side as he swayed out of the room and down the hall to his.

When I couldn't hear the sound of his footsteps any longer I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. _What the matter with me?_ I sighed and sat down beside the cot. Finally, for the first time I decided to look at the human.

Yep, it was a girl, and small by the looks of it. Well, almost everything is small compared to being a 7-foot tall turtle. Her hair was a dark brown, I think. The lighting in the room wasn't exactly the best. Her skin was pale: probably due to the fever. Her cheeks were slightly pink which probably wasn't a good sign and she had beads of sweat on her forehead. All in all, yikes. Mikey didn't say anything about sweating. I groaned. I don't know the first thing about taking care of a human.

I closed my eyes and pursed my lips. Right, I wasn't planning on taking care of her. At least not that way. I looked back down at the girl and ground my teeth together. So maybe this wasn't the best plan. Oh well, that was obvious. But I'm starting to think I can't exactly go through with it. I noticed her difficult breaths and rubbed my hands together. She looks half dead already. I probably don't even need to do anything. And just like that my plan changed. I won't do anything. If I just turn a blind eye I bet she'll probably just die on her own.

I nodded to myself and decided I'd get some sleep while I wait for her to die. I cringed. Wow, that sounds a whole lot worse than what I thought it would.

Lifting myself with my arms I leaned my shell against the wall adjacent to the cot. _This could take awhile_, I yawned. A finale glance to my left let me see the girl and her shallow breaths. Then without a sound I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

_Or maybe not._

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><p>I awoke with a start and surveyed the room in little over a second, expecting danger. When I saw the room was empty I lowered my fists and rubbed my tired eyes. All of a sudden another high pitch noise sounded in the room. My eyes darted to my left and down at the cot where I could see the girl draw in air sharply and quickly. Each breath was low gasp. Her hair was sticking to her neck and I could see the sheen of sweat on her skin.<p>

I groaned and rubbed my face with both my hands. _No one told me dying would be so loud. _I opened my eyes and frowned at the girl beside me.

"Would you keep it down?" I asked beseechingly knowing full well my request wouldn't be answered.

Another wheeze told me this wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Begrudgingly, I moved to face her and crossed my legs at the side of the cot. Leaning forward, I was practically towering over her. Shell, why are humans so tiny?

Curious, I lifted my hand and rested it on her forehead. Within a second of contact I snatched my hand away. She was on fire. I frowned as I clung to my hand, now lightly covered in her sweat. Gross.

I shut my eyes and ground my teeth together: seriously, that was becoming a bad habit. When I opened them again I felt completely exhausted. _What the shell is wrong with me?_

My hands were now automatic. I felt her forehead again and winced. She was really hot. Looking around the room I found a cloth in a bowl of water. Obviously used by the others to make sure she would stay cool.

I grabbed for the cloth and dampened it with the cool water. I shivered. Mikey was right, it was freezing down here. It always was during winter. The ground would freeze, making our home practically an underground fridge.

I dabbed the cloth on her forehead and down the sides of her face. Her neck was sweaty as well so I began to move the cloth lower, down her neck and to her chest.

_Uh_. I hesitated, cloth still pressed to her chest. _Yeah, no._ I moved towards the forehead again and then when the heat she gave off warmed the cloth, I dipped it into the cool bowl of water and repeated the process.

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><p>I wrapped the extra blanket around myself and rested against the wall. Sheesh, this girl is a pain and she's not even awake! Her breathing had ultimately settled down to a calm inhale and exhale. Along with the fever dropping so did the temperature in the room. Being so occupied with keeping the girl alive had been difficult to say the least.<p>

You see, if any of us had an injury or sprang, we know exactly what to do. We know how to treat mutant turtles: that's what we've grown up with. Big, green, three fingered hands working with big green, well… turtles! But this…

I let my head roll to the left. One of her tiny hands curled into her hair, and the other, neatly tucked into the blankets. Her head was practically the size of my fist.

Yeah. Not used to such fragility.

My muscles tightened before I heard him speak.

"Raph." Leo's voice was calm. I didn't look up. Was it really his turn already? How long had I been taking care of her?

"Her fever is going down." I answered before he could annoy me with any questions. I stood and walked over to the door that held my brother's weight. I stopped in front of him, waiting for him to move. Leaning against the door he sighed and shifted into his room. His eyes were instantly on the girl. I could virtually see the checklist go off in his head. Number one: Is the girl alive? Check.

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room. Thank goodness that was over.

"Raph." Leo's voice came out into the hall.

"As you can see, Leo, no, I didn't kill her." I pivoted on one foot to face him.

"I knew you wouldn't." he said almost annoyed. Yeah, my attitude has that effect on people: on Leo, Donnie, Sometimes Mikey, and even Master Splinter. Yup, I'm a real piece of work, I am. My body turned on its own, beckoning an actual bed. I understand why Mikey was so tired. That had been ridiculously tortuous. It was like she was trying to keep me guessing. Am I gonna die on you, or not? Yes I am. Nope. Just kidding, I'm still alive, but barely. Shell, it was like a freaking roller coaster with random bolts missing.

"Thanks." My brother's voice cut through my thoughts. For a second I was speechless. It was at these times where I really don't know what to say. His surprise words of gratitude, ugh, I'm just not used to it sometimes. I haven't always done things that deserved gratitude. Like I said, I'm working on it.

"Yeah." I rarely whispered before rounding the corner, making my way down the hall to my room. I let my hand graze the cold stonewalls. As the cold began to numb my fingers I drew them into the warmth of my palm.

My room was third furthest down the hall and with the light turned off; the darkness easily swallowed me whole, making the hall and me pretty much invisible. But this place was drilled into my brain. I knew every nook and cranny. It was very easy to get oneself lost in our home if one wasn't acquainted. There wasn't a single place that my brother's and me didn't know about. Everything about down here was so familiar and welcoming. It had become our home. And with the help of Donnie's many tweaks to the system, I gotta say, It's a pretty darn nice sewer. I still rejoice in the day where Donnie had found a way to ventilate the smell. Boy was that a blessed day. Fourteen-year-old Donnie: what a genius. And now, shell, it was hard to keep a conversation going without feeling dumber than a turtle.

Turning to the right I felt my right arm brush against the doorframe as I entered my dark room. The candle that I had lit before getting some rest had long since burned out. A yawn escaped my lips as I finally reached my bed. I smirked when I felt the familiar cushion of my kind queen sized bed.

"What use is a queen size bed?" I mocked Leo in the darkness of my own room. Falling back, my head hit the pillow and I sprawled out, stretching each and every limb. It was 7foot turtle heaven. _That's why._

It wasn't that much long after that I felt the fatigue the previous hours had since affected me. The last thing I remembered before shutting my eyes was absolutely nothing. Silence and darkness welcomed me.

* * *

><p>When I woke I could smell one of Mikey's food creations. I groaned and shifted slightly in my bed. I had completely forgot that we ran out of pizza yesterday. My disappointment soon turned to anger. Anger, cause it was Mikey's turn to get the pizza yesterday night. And what did he bring instead? My eyes shot open.<p>

It was hardly five seconds until I was at the door to Leo's room. It had seemed like a dream. I'd almost forgotten it was completely real. But maybe, just maybe it was a dream.

Carefully and putting all my years of training to the test I opened the door, praying the creak it usually made would for once not make a single sound. To my luck, there was only silence. On the other hand… it wasn't a dream. The girl slept peacefully on Leo's bed. She looked about a thousand times better than what she did yesterday. But… why was she in Leo's room alone? Isn't anyone going to watch her?

"Ugh, shell." I mumbled before closing the door.

The scent grew stronger as I mad my wall out of the hallway and into the center of the lair. I could see Donnie working on one of his new gadgets, sparks flying. Leo was sitting on the ground, legs crossed, eyes closed. Every morning.

And then there was Mikey. From the tone and rhythm in his step, even from behind I could tell he was completely engrossed in whatever music was playing from his Ipod. Now, seated at the table already pre-set with plates and silverware, I could hear the hum the music exuded from the headphones.

I looked down at the pan in Mikey's hands and sighed. Yup, eggs. My stomach growled and my frustration returned. I was hungry and I needed food now. My eyes moved from Mikey's dancing figure to the fork an inch from my hand.

Mikey raised his jazz hand and I automatically flung the fork across the room.

"Ah!" Mikey screamed and looked at the fork sticking out of the back of his hand. His eyes widened with shock when he caught my eye. He gesturing to his hand then back at me, all while letting out little squawks.

"Bu…wha…I was…but you…my ha…agh!" he yapped. In a swift motion I was over the table and right beside my brother. His eyes grew and before he could catch me, I yanked the fork out of his hand and placed it in the sink.

Ripping off his headphones, Mikey raised a finger and took a great gulp of breath. Before he could let out any air for the long never ending complaining he was about to do I smacked my hand over his mouth and glared. Swallowing the air Mikey turned and continued to make the food. That boy was getting smarter.

"Raph." Leo warned as he sat next to me. I couldn't help but smirk at the lack of enthusiasm in his voice. He shook his head then threw his attention to Mikey.

"Mikey." he enquired. I released my grip on his face.

Mikey licked his lips and raised his hand waving off Leo's certain concern for him.

"Don't worry bro, I'm fine. There's nothing Mikey can't handle. Even a big ol' meanie like Ra-"

"I meant the food, Mikey."

"Oh." He chuckled. "Almost done."

Five seconds later he whirled around and placed four bowls of eggs and ketchup on the table. Yeah, wasn't exactly a five star meal.

"Bon appetite." Mikey smiled and sat down just as Donnie found his spot around the table.

"Check out my egg-splosive egg-speriment" Mikey smiled happily.

"They're just eggs." Leo pointed at the bowl in front of him.

"Eggs-actly."

"We need to go out to the surface for more food." Donnie noted before eating his breakfast.

"Egg-cellent idea."

"Enough with the egg puns!" I cut through their conversation, slamming my fist on the table. Mikey frowned and shuffled in his seat.

"You guys are poaching all my best yokes."

"Mikey." I warned.

"Raph, calm down." Leo sighed and dropped his fork into the eggs and ate a bite. I rolled my eyes before I looked down at my now cooling eggs. Oh man, we need to get more food. I can't live like this.

"We need more food." I mumbled my thoughts out loud.

"Time for an eggs-cavation to the sunny side up."

"Enough!"

"You want un oeuf?"

"Mikey!" I lunged forward, knocking over his bowl of eggs. Just before my hands could reach his neck something hard wedged itself into one of the nooks in my plastron and threw me back into my chair. Donnie raised his staff and secured it back into place, on the back of his carapace. I felt the growl rumble deep within my chest.

"Raph!" Leo yelled to get my attention. His tone held the same level of exhaustion as it did back when we used to fight. I gritted my teeth and seated myself back down, glaring at my little brother who was now staring longingly at the scattered eggs on the table.

"That settles it," Leo pushed the empty bowl away and stood from his seat.

"Mikey and I are going to the top to get more food. Donnie and Ra…"

"I would equally delight in an excursion to the top in order to acquire the optimal partition for the new study I have recently commenced."

"Wha…" Mikey drooled.

"I'm going with you." Donnie deadpanned.

Before my head had time to recuperate from whatever language spewed from my brother's mouth, a new realization hit me.

"I have to stay with the human?" I almost whined.

"Her vitals are stable and the fever has recessed to nothing. She should be awake in a day or so." Donnie noted, his bowl empty. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mikey's hand inching forward waiting to attack my remaining eggs.

"So now I'm a babysitter. Great." I rolled my head and raised my arms sarcastically. Sarcasm was truly one of my best skills. Seriously. Anytime. Anywhere. I'm always ready for some sarcasm.

Mikey's hand rose from the table ready to pounce for the kill.

"No. Well, yes. I trust her in your care." Leo gestured.

I raised my fork vertical just as Mikey's hand slammed down on my bowl. A yelp told me that my weapon hit its target.

"Ah!" Mikey screamed raising his hand to gawk at the fork now sticking out of his palm. Another shriek and he was running around the lair waving his arm around like a chicken. I chuckled to myself before turning to face my older brother. His half massed eyes declared how unamused he was.

"Yeah. Maybe not the wisest of choices." Donnie grinned before walking towards the exit.

"Ow!" Mikey's voice carried over the lair.

"We'll be back in a few hours. Try not to break anything," He paused, "or the girl."

"She's just a sick and sweaty human!" I shouted at Leo who marched to the exit followed closely by Mikey who was rubbing his hand.

"Wow bro, way to sweet talk the lady. No wonder we don't get any chicks down here." Mikey smiled, proud at his last egg pun of the morning: for my ears at least. I reached over and grabbed Donnie's fork. With a flick of the wrist I heard the whisk of air before it met its target.

"Ah! Hey!"

* * *

><p>I breathed heavily while tightly clutching my Sais. It had been a couple hours and working out had been an excellent pass time. The heat my body gave off was not uncomfortable but soothing. The cool air of the lair had been slowing my reflexes. It was nice getting all worked up and blood boiling. Sure it was no spar with Leo but it had to do.<p>

I swallowed, feeling the burn in my throat. I ran my tongue over my dry lips and began for the door. Walking down the halls and through a couple passageways, I passed our rooms. Just passing Mikey's I saw the hundreds upon hundreds of comics scattered everywhere. Yup, looked the same since the day we got here. Donnie's room had a desk with some papers on it with the odd doo-daa on the side. Other than that his room was mostly boring.

I stole a quick glance in Leo's room before continuing down the hall. Ugh, yeah, probably the most boring out of all our rooms. He had no style what so ever. Always clean and tidy, though his bed was a bit of a mess. Why he hadn't made it was beyond m…

I stopped dead in my tracks. At once all of my senses heightened as I listened for anything and everything. I could hear the scurry of mice in the walls and the _plip-plop_ water from roof made when it hit the stone floor. I could hear the_ tink_ of a glass being set on the metal table.

My eyes narrowed. I was extremely quick on my feet rounding the corners till I found myself at the entrance to the huge center of the lair. I saw the T.V. and couches empty and ran my eyes around to the other side where the kitchen was. My eyes widened.

The human was in our kitchen! And she was drinking from one of our glasses. With a great and pleasing sigh she set the glass on the table and wiped her mouth. She must have been as thirsty as I was now.

Her eyes were sleepy as she looked around the lair. She looked more curious than anything. Getting up from the chair she walked to the sink and ran the water. I could see one hand reach for the soap bottle. She was washing her glass?

I frowned. Nobody filled me in on what to do if she woke up!

A sound from the kitchen alerted me and brought me from my inner turmoil. My eyes followed the girl as she walked around the table and to the couch where the T.V. was. The shadows concealed me easily even though I was completely visible.

Her arms were wrapped around her body as she made it to the couch. She smiled without teeth as she nabbed the blanket Mikey had left on the side of the couch. Wrapping herself tightly she sat down.

After a couple minutes she fell on her side and curled up in a ball. I waited for something or anything to happen. After fifteen minutes of nothing, boredom over came any sense I had. Walking into the light of the room I was quiet on my feet as I made my way around the lair to appear behind the couch. Oh boy had that couch shrunk since we had grown. Still, the thing looked huge compared the girl sleeping on it. I peered over the edge, still a couple feet away just in case she woke with a start. She looked a thousand times better than what she had the night before.

_Shell, what do I do?_ I rubbed the back of my head. The heat from self-training was starting to wear off and the chill of the lair was becoming more apparent. No wonder she stole the blanket.

_Okay, um, should I bring her back to Leo's room and lock her in?_ Nope. Couldn't risk the prospect of her waking up. This isn't going to end well. _I really don't want to deal with this. I wish the guys would hurry up and get their shell's back h…_

"Heeeeere's Mikey!"

_Oh Shell._

I whirled around, my eyes wide as I stared at my three brothers. Upon seeing my face they stopped and frowned.

"What's the ma-oh dear." Donnie's voice trailed off. None of their eyes were on me. I carefully turned my head to the left and down at the couch. The girl was sitting up and staring at my brothers before looking up at me, then back to my brothers.

"Oops." Mikey shrugged, smiling nervously.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The silence was almost unbearable. Every second that passed was worse than the last. Afraid to move, I let my eyes pass by my brothers' whereabouts. Probably fearing the same as myself, they had not yet moved a millimeter. I didn't want to meet the girl's gaze again. _Shell, why hasn't she said anything? We must look like monsters to her._

My frustration was beginning to get the better of me. _Someone say something!_

"Uh, hi?"

_Except him. _

Mikey moved his hand an inch to the side and back so as to form some sort of a wave. A nervous grin was plastered on his face. If it weren't for the situation right now, I would probably be laughing my shell off. Mike's face looked like a jumble of emotions: excited enough to pee, terrified enough to pee, and nervous enough to throw up. It was pretty hilarious.

"Whoa. Nope. Didn't expect this." She shook her head and pursed her lips together as if stumped. After a couple of seconds of silence she puffed out her cheeks and widened her eyes looking to the side as if the whole scenario was awkward. With a _pop _from her lips she looked up at me.

"Just making sure my theory is correct, you don't plan on eating me right?" She actually looked concerned.

"That's disgusting! Ugh, why would you think that?" Mikey stuck out his tongue. _Oh, maybe he might throw up._ The girl gave Mikey an incredulous look like he was crazy, yet she seemed to relax all the same.

"So," she was nodding slowly, looking at each of us.

Delayed, my brain turned back on. None of this was normal! There was a human girl in our living room and she was just staring at us. Where was the screaming? Can she not see us? We are green for crying out loud! Does this not freak her out in any way? Cause, this is completely weirding me out. Is she crazy?

"Are you crazy?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Possibly. Or dead. I am staring at four giant turtles." She stated plainly.

"Wha…" I cannot believe her.

"For those first few minutes I was a little worried you guys would attack and eat me or something. But since Orangie here said otherwise, I'm kinda excited. I might even throw up."

"You may still be sick from the virus. It's a miracle that you are alive." Donnie interjected, doctor mode still turned on.

"Yeah, maybe." She nodded and agreed while I shook my head.

"No. No. None of this makes sense. Why aren't you screaming? I don't… I don't get it? Why don't you act normal and be scared. You're almost as stupid as my brothers or even more so." I almost growled at her. She stared at me with wide eyes. _Oh great, I scared her. Well, good. Cause whatever this is, isn't normal._

All of a sudden the girl stood on the couch and poked me on the plastron.

"Don't call me stupid." she frowned hard and definite. Even though she was standing on the couch she was still a foot shorter than I. We glared at each other and now I could see her face more clearly. Her hair was indeed a medium brown and her face had more colour to it than before. There were little dark specks across her cheekbones and nose. What were those called again? Her eyes were a light green and held some pretty extreme anger at the moment.

"Raph." It was Leo's voice that broke whatever daze I was in. I broke our staring contest and glared at my brother.

"This is your fault. What do we do with her?"

"I get to keep her, right?" Mikey beamed and started towards the girl who had now crossed her arms.

"No." Leo grabbed Mikey's bandana and yanked him back.

"But I found her." He whined still reaching for the girl.

"Careful, it might have rabies." I crossed my arms and stuck a thumb in her direction.

"Really?" Mikey tried to see over my shoulder. The girl crashed her teeth together to emphasize my threat. I almost smirked.

"So we're going to throw her out?" Mikey frowned and a new look of concern appeared on his face.

"No."

"Then what?" It was Donnie's turn to ask the questions.

"I don't know."

"I do, we'll chuck her out the back." I added my idea.

"I don't like that idea." Donnie shook his head and Mikey chuckled.

"Neither does she." He smiled widely.

I looked over my shoulder and the girl was practically fuming. Her face was all red and her eyes looked dark with rage.

"She has a name." the girl frowned.

"We don't care." I blurted before she could tell us. There was a moment of hurt on her expression before she regained herself and rolled her eyes. She was a feisty one. _Were all humans like this? I can't believe this is even happening._ I turned to face my brothers with wide eyes, trying to convey that this was insanity.

Donnie was looking from me to the girl every five seconds. He seemed to have worked out all the possibilities and was just waiting for Leader to make the next decision before acting accordingly.

Leo, for once, was completely baffled and appeared to be working over some things in his mind. Probably how crazy this was. I mean, come on! This was weird! There's a human in our living room and she's not screaming!

Mikey was practically buzzing. Excited as ever and obviously wanting to talk to her more. He was smart enough to know that right now wasn't the best time to divulge in his human obsession.

"Do you like pizza?" _I was wrong._

I closed my eyes and sighed. Seriously, I must have dropped Mikey on the head too many times when we were younger.

* * *

><p>I glared as Mikey chowed down on another piece of pizza. The others were tentative as they carefully watched the girl on the far side of the table. At least I wasn't the only one who thought this was a little nuts. The plate that had been placed in front of me was still holding my slice of pizza, though it had long since cooled off. My arms were crossed and my hands, balled into fists. My whole body screamed at the situation but I'd dare not move a single muscle.<p>

The girl was staring at us right back. Every bite she took was a conflict between enjoying the food and keeping her senses wary of the green beasts in front of her. She seemed to have gotten over the fact that we were eating pizza. Like it was some sort of abomination. I didn't understand. Who doesn't like pizza?

"So, what is your name?" Leo asked hesitantly. Without moving my body, my eyes sharpened in his direction. _Now_ Leo was gonna talk?

The girl put her slice of pizza on the plate. It didn't seem she was going to finish.

"Beau." She answered as a-matter-of-factly before eyeing me specifically. She evidently hadn't forgiven my earlier comment.

"Well Beau, you see… this is-" Leo started.

"I'm Mikey. Beau. That's a pretty name." Mikey chuckled. "I like it."

Leo glared at his brother before turning back at the girl. Beau.

"Beau, my name is Leonardo." He placed a hand on his chest then gestured to Mikey. "These are my brothers, Michelangelo, Donatello."

Donnie waved and straightened his glasses.

"And that's Raphael." Leo smiled nervously while eyeing me with careful eyes.

My eyes rolled automatically and yet I couldn't help but glance to the far end of the table. The girl stared at me. Actually, she was glowering at me. I tensed my muscles to keep from shuffling uncomfortably.

"Hello." Her gaze never left my direction. _Seriously, is there something on my face?_ I fought the urge to check and instead continued our staring contest.

"Beau, why were you outside in the middle of January?" Mikey interrupted..

"I was kicked out of the house for not doing well in college." She answered blankly, taking another bite of her pizza as if too keep herself busy.

_What?_

"What?" My brothers had the same thoughts.

"There's not much else to say. My step mom didn't like my grades and that was the last warning. So, I'm out."

She was as calm as can be. _Why would her family do that? That's not what family is supposed to do_. I turned to Leo who seemed to be putting together the situation in his big head of his.

"I'm sorry, man. You can live with us." Mikey beamed as all heads turned to the giant turtle with the orange mask.

"I don't think I should…"

"I agree." Once again, the girl and I were eyeing each other mercilessly. At least we we're on the same page. Her green eyes were holding steady. If the situation had been entirely different, I would be impressed with her ferocity.

It took me a moment to understand the silence encasing the room.

_Oh. _I shuffled uneasily in my seat.

"Now, let's not jump to that conclusion." Leo's eyes narrowed when he caught my eye, warning me to calm my shell.

"Beau, if you can let us think about this for a second," Leader continued.

"Of course."

"Team huddle!" Mikey shouted. At once all four of us jumped from our seats and gathered at the other end of the kitchen. Finally, without the other face in the group I could inspect my brothers' faces. Mikey was an open book, clearly excited. Donnie didn't show any sign against the idea. Leo looked to be thinking things over but it was obvious he was breaking.

"You guys can't actually think this is okay." I voiced my thoughts.

"She's hot." Mikey cooed.

"Mikey," Donnie snapped, "I would think it appropriate to monitor the salubriousness of her constitutional state. And the introspection of accommodation is not completely abominable."

We gawked at our brother waiting for an understandable answer. With a huff, and from what I could tell, a little bit of bashfulness he rubbed his neck.

"I say she can stay." He sighed.

"And she's hot."

"You can't be serious." I rubbed my eyes.

"Shell yeah I'm serious. Look at her. She's smokin. Do you think she'll be my girlfriend?"

"Mikey!" We cried out at together.

"Leo?" I tried. My brother examined the ground then peered in the girl's general direction.

"We," He started then pinched the bridge of his nose, "We let her stay."

"Plus, she's super ho-"

"What?" I almost yelled. "Don't you feel like this is a little rushed? Numb-shell over here finds a human girl, brings her home, and now were just gonna let her stay? Just like that? This isn't some sort of love novel."

"It's three against one. The babe stays!" Mickey whispered excitedly.

* * *

><p>"Urgh!" I growled. My fists clenched and unclenched. <em>This was crazy. How did this happen so fast? How long will she be here? Once again, was this not insane?<em>

I sighed and leaned up against the wall adjacent to my room. The darkness that surrounded me was moist and crisp. I fought the urge to shiver.

Unconsciously my mind drifted to the girl and how she spent who knows how long out in the winter cold. I frowned and brushed my hand over my head. Casting her out to freeze to death in the snow really wasn't something I wanted on my conscious.

_Wow, just like that._ I sighed again. A whole new anger began to well up in my chest.

_I was going to let her die while she was fighting for her life? And then I was going to kick her out into the New York winter to freeze to death?_ I shook my head. _This isn't who I am._ My brothers had realized the danger of her leaving and I, once again, was too caught up in myself to see passed what was really important. I'm not a murderer.

_ "__We're heroes." _

My younger brother's voice rang in my head. I smiled to myself. _Yeah, bro. We're heroes._

* * *

><p>My muscles burned comfortably and the cool air outside the training dojo was welcoming. Ever since I can remember, whenever I've been angry or had something heavy on my mind, training served to clear my head. If my brothers were up for a spare, that was even better.<p>

I rubbed the back of my neck as I walked down the hall.

Donnie was in his room with a breakthrough with one of his projects and Mikey had left with Leo to the surface for some sort of errand Donnie had sent them on. Or something like that. Whatever.

The past week I had barely interacted with my brothers. Probably due to the fact that all they've done is hang around the girl; showing her around, Mikey giving her some human clothes…

_"__Why do you have these?" Donnie held up a burgundy sweater. _

_ "__In case something interesting calls for them. I think this wins the pot." Mikey grinned before adding, "A girl is going to be wearing my clothes."_

_ "__They don't even fit you." Leo shook his head in disbelief at the scenario. _

_ "__They won't fit her. They're all boy clothes. Seriously Mikey?"_

I rolled my eyes at the memory. Yup, everyone's getting all familiar with each other. We're just one great big happy mutant-turtles-and-human-girl family.

"'She kinda reminds me of you. But nicer.'" I quietly mocked my brother's comment made a few days ago.

"Oh really? I wouldn't know. I've purposely been avoiding her the whole thing." I finished my little monologue, just as I turned the corner. The hallway leading to the center of the lair was slightly aglow and a sound coming from the kitchen had me on high alert.

I immediately shifted the weight on my feet as not to make a sound. Exiting the hall, I followed the rounded wall around the center of the lair, still concealed in the shadows.

_Oh shell_, I sighed. The girl was in the kitchen, rummaging through our cupboards. She seemed frustrated until she opened what seemed to be the only cupboard left unopened. _Ah._ There at the top of the cupboard was the cereal: Mikey's cinnamon toast crunch.

With an arm reaching as far up as she could the box was still easily two feet higher. Well, what do you expect with a family of 7foot tall turtles? With nothing to climb on she began jumping as high as her little legs would let her.

An extremely minuscule smile crept over my lips. It could be that this was entertaining as shell or the fact that I really wanted her to succeed and eat all Mikey's favorite cereal. Maybe then they would let her go.

A grunt from the kitchen proved her irritation at her constant failure. This was pathetic.

I couldn't help the hesitation as I took my first few steps forward. My advance was nevertheless carefully silent. There was still time to turn around and leave without my presence ever being known. I was getting closer.

_Should I show myself after a week of ignoring her? Shell._ My steps slowed as I neared the last few meters. _It's too late now._

I stopped right behind her. Today she wore her pants and one of Mikey's huge, oversized man sweaters. The sight was quite amusing.

At once, her stance changed; hands placed on her hips, staring at the tall cupboard fiercely. I gulped inaudibly. If she took one step backwards, we would be pressed against my plastron. Looking down then up at the cereal I could very easily reach, I sighed and raised my arm to grab it.

"Stop!" her voice was loud in the quietness of the lair. I froze and frowned. Can't she see I'm trying to help her? My eyes narrowed down meeting her cold stare.

"I don't need your help." She crossed her arms.

_Really?_ I could hardly hide the annoyed confusion in my face. _Is her shell cracked? Fine. _My arm began to descend when she yelled again.

"Freeze!"

"What?" I yelled back. "You don't want my help. Fine. I'll go."

Before I could move a muscle…

"I said freeze!"

I froze. Why did I freeze? A cold hand grabbed my bicep. Then another made a lung for my forearm. _What? Is she… Is she climbing me? _

My muscles still burned from the recent workout. It took my all not to let my arm fall, her along with it.

Finally her two hands were grasping my outreached hand, only a couple inches from the cereal box. Letting one hand go, she made a grab for the box and let go of her other hand. With a grunt she landed her feet on the ground and fell backwards into my plastron, head knocking back. _Ouch._

"Agh. Ow." She rubbed the back of her head. Stepping forward she turned to face me with a smirk.

"See?" She seemed pleased with herself. Snapping out of whatever frozen trance I was in, I cross my arms.

"And of course you did that all by yourself." _This was unbelievable._

"Did you get it down for me?"

"No, but I… am I something to climb on and then play off?"

"What? Do you not like being disregarded? That's weird. Huh." She moved around my frame then sat at the table. I followed her movements and watched her mercilessly pour the cereal into the bowl. I smirked to myself. _Mission accomplished. Oh Mikey's face…_

"Do you want some?" she asked without looking up.

"No." The answer was automatic and out of habit. I cringed at the harshness of my voice.

"Fine." She seemed completely detached and impassive towards my animosity and began to eat.

Mikey would be even more grieved to find all of his cereal gone compared to just most of it. My thoughts raced and before I knew it I had grabbed another bowl and sat across from the gutsy girl. Not even paying me mind she grabbed the box and dumped it completely upside down, the remaining contents crashing into my bowl.

I raised an eyebrow muscle at the sheer cheeky behavior of the whole ordeal.

It didn't take long before my short attention span reached its limit and the quiet seemed just a little too quiet.

"So, girl…"

"It's Beau."

"I'm pretty sure you're a girl."

"My name. My name's is Beau." She stared incredulously.

_Right. Forgot. _

"Beau." I scoffed. "What kind of a name is that?" I took a huge mouthful of cereal.

"And Rapheal, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo are so much easier."

I almost choked. _Shell, she was right._ With a frown I stood from my seat and walked towards the sink where I tossed my bowl. _Did I just lose a fight?_ I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of losing a fight to a worthless human girl.

"Wait, where are you going?" She stopped eating and watched my every movement.

"None of your concern." My eyes reached her face before I strode off. My frown kept, but I could help but feel a little foul at the sudden melancholy in her expression as I walked away without an explanation.

* * *

><p>In my room I trudged back and forth. I was frustrated and angry. I rubbed my head and unsuccessfully shook the thoughts from my mind. With a growl I grabbed for my sai and threw one across the room into the dartboard, securing it to the wall.<p>

"Why am I angry!" I yelled to myself.

And there you have it: I'm angry at not knowing why I'm angry. Is this what's it's like for my brothers? Not knowing why I'm angry and then getting frustrated?

Am I mad about the girl being here? Still? No.

I sat on the edge of my bed. Am I mad she beat me at my own game? That I was shocked into silence?

Now this may seem a little absurd to some people, but I've never lost a war of tongues to another person in my life. That's what has always got me into trouble: always having the last, heart-stabbing word. This was hardly a heart-stabbing situation. It was the thought of losing the battle.

I chuckled without humor. And I thought I'd come so far. Only to be undone by an innocent comment from a girl.

* * *

><p>"Raph?" Leo's voice woke me from my sleep. <em>When had I fallen asleep?<em>

"Leo." I answered numbly.

"How have you been? We've hardly seen you this passed week." My brother entered my room and stood at the end of my bed. He's already notice the sai sticking out of the dartboard. Thankfully, he's made no comment.

"What's wrong brother?"

"Why is she here?" My words were a lot more biting than I had intended. I could see the patience in my brother's face. There was a time where that patience and calm demeanor had made me absolutely furious. How could he keep so calm and the smallest _anything_ could set me off on a rampage.

Now, I had a whole new respect for everything my brother did. His patience was something I strove to accomplish within myself. It wasn't working out at the moment.

"Raph."

"No, Leo. Did you guys really think this through?" I asked, truly curious. I had no idea what their plan was or anything about the whole situation for that matter.

"We…" Leo trailed off and I waited. I really hoped he would find something to tell me. _Please, anything._

"Nothing?" I shook my head, "There's nothing you can tell me?" I yelled, balling my fists.

"Raph, that's not – did you hear tha-"

"I know, let's just let her live with us forever. Maybe she can be our little sister. How about that? We'll be a big happy family. Four turtles, a rat, and a human. Perfect!" I fumed.

"Raph, keep your voice down. You know she's in the room down the hall?" It wasn't a question.

"Since when?"

"Since she came here. You haven't been around though, so how would you know." the frustration seeping into his voice. My brother veered for the door, obviously having enough of my little temper tantrum.

"Just," he rubbed his temples, a nasty habit I've been pointing out for forever. "Just get to know her. She reminds me a little bit of you." Leo chuckled.

_That's what Donnie said._ I turned my head away and rolled my eyes. The sound of my door closing told me Leo had left.

_Ah shell_, I ran my palm over my face. What was giant turtle to do when upset? Obviously…

"Time to hit the dojo. Again."

* * *

><p>Leaving the dojo for the second time, the ground was cool on my feet. If my muscles didn't ache before, they sure were putting up a fight now. I winced while massaging my sore arm. My muscles haven't burned like this in months, not since the last strong encounter with the Foot. That was indeed a day to remember.<p>

My hand dropped to its side then found one of my new scars. It was almost entirely healed now.

"…It's not that bad. Trust us." A voice sounded from the center of the lair. I recognized it as Don's. I shook my head, _we're they gonna watch another one of Donnie's movies?_

"I shouldn't have stay for as long as I have." The girl replied.

_Oh boy._

"Beau, it's not what you think. Just let him get used to you. I'll talk to him." Leo's voice was concerned.

"And how did that go today? Leo, you were there. He said he doesn't want me here. I saw him only today for the first time since you allowed me to stay. He didn't seem too pleased. Do you really think that's gonna change?"

"You weren't meant to hear any of that. He didn't tell me you guys saw each… Beau. Please, you don't have to go."

_She's leaving?_ I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a little relieved since it has been my goal from the beginning to have her go and keep my family safe. After the initial feeling of relief, there was a small feeling of… guilt?

"I'm leaving."

"Beau," It was Mikey. "Please stay. Who cares what that big meanie says?"

_Oh, he's gonna pay for that later._

"I'm sorry."

My chest felt uncomfortable with hearing my brother's pained voice. Yes, I felt guilt. Guilty, for making my brothers upset. What was I going to do?

_"__Just get to know her."_ Leo's voice came back to me. _We'll we need to be around each other to do that. That won't work if she's gone._ _Ugh_, it was obvious where this was going.

My feet moved me towards the voices. The light was bright compared to the shadows from the hall. My eyes squinted for a second, which probably made me look like I was angry. Great.

"Raph."

In a few more steps I was standing with the group. The girl was wearing her own clothes, the one thing she had with her at the time of arrival.

"Raph, you need to stop her. She's trying to leave." Mikey jumped from where he stood, wrapping his arms around me.

"Leaving?" I asked without needing an answer.

"I'm leaving." She answered anyway. For the second time today I looked at the girl. Her eyes were locked on mine. They were an interesting green. Not too light or too dark. Just right. Freckles! That's what they were called. She was short; six inches lower than my shoulders. She was short, though we haven't had a lot of experience with humans in the first place. Other than the Foot Clan. Let's just say you really wouldn't want them to represent humankind. What she lacked in height she made up for attitude, I could put together that much.

From this close I could see her face clearly. Her eyes were sad and anxious and her mouth, taught. I've already made up my mind. How to execute without looking like a big softy, like Leo; challenging.

"No your not." I said plainly. Her change in expression was immediate. From sad and anxious, to confused and anxious.

"Raph?" Donnie, asked. I turned to my brothers.

"You guys really think we should put a girl on the streets who knows about us? She'll probably blab all about us to anyone she sees. We can't risk that."

"I wouldn't tell any-umph." I clamped my hand around her mouth, covering half of her face. It was…soft.

"We could let her go. Sure. She'll probably freeze the death before she could tell a soul anyway." I could feel her shift uneasily.

"Are you saying she can stay?" Mikey looked up hopefully. I grinned, if you could call it a grin. I don't usually like to smile when everyone can see me. It was weak.

I looked down the length of my arm to the face attached to my hand.

"There's not really a choice."

Her eyes were moist and she wanted to speak but tsk that; I wouldn't move my hand. Her gaze dropped, giving herself time to recompose before I let her go. I pursed my lips together, amused. When she lifted her eyes again, her vision had cleared. I let go.

"Who else is going to cook?" She stated plainly. Mikey almost choked. Everyone laughed.

"You can stay!" Mikey got over himself rather quickly, picking up the girl and swinging her around. She smiled and nodded without words.

A hand fell on my shoulder. Leo nodded and patted my shoulder. It was a gesture he made when he was pleased with one of us. I have come to treasure those moments. I could see Donnie shuffling from side to side, evidently excited. Mikey was a whole new level of excitement. He was all smiles and happiness, even as he was being kicked by the girl demanding to be put down.

"To celebrate we're going to have a games night!" Mikey shouted excitedly.

_No._

* * *

><p>And yet here we are. I frowned even deeper than before, eyeing the ground in frustration. Yes, yes, I saved the day and said she could stay. But why do they need to drag me into a petty games night? At first it sounded promising, maybe a combat match or a training session, or even a trip to the surface and mess up some Foot activity. You know, that kinda fun. But this?<p>

I looked up from the ground were we created a circle while sitting.

"It's just a little bit of an icebreaker. Its called Truth or Dare!" Mikey beamed excitedly. _What._

"Okay I'll go first. Beau, truth or dare!"

"Dare." She didn't miss a beat.

"I dare you to kiss m-"

_Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. _

"The Foot!" Donnie announced, ripping out his T-phone to access the situation. The rest of us were on our feet immediately. Leo was already running towards the screen to locate the whereabouts of the action. Mikey was mumbling and throwing his arms up in frustration. There was no time to figure out what his deal was.

My eyes went to the girl forgotten in the middle of the room. Her gaze shifted uneasily to each of us, trying to put the whole thing together. _Right_. We completely forgot she had no idea about the Foot Clan. Obviously. It's been only a week since she found out giant turtles were living under the ground in the sewers. Surprise, there's a huge pack of evil ninjas that try to destroy the city every now and then.

"Babe!" Mikey shouted, jumping over the couch and grabbing the girl's hands.

"It's Beau." She stated plainly, but noticeably wanting an explanation.

"There's an evil clan of ninja's called the Foot. Sometimes they try and destroy the city."

_Wow. That sounded as smooth as I thought it would be._ I shook my head and rolled my eyes. _Mikey._

"Destroy the city?" She asked.

"Okay, so they've never really got that close. But they are not to be trusted. Okay?"

"And they're extremely dangerous." Leo came back, armed with his katanas. It took me less than a second to realize I hadn't moved since the announcement of the Foot. I frowned at my complete ignorance, bewildered.

"Beau," Leo continued, "I'm afraid there's more to this city that meets the eye."

She crossed her arms and leaned on one leg, her hip jutting out. Serious attitude.

"And four giant turtles didn't give that away at all. I'm glad you cleared that up for me. Thanks Leo." She smirked, clearly amused with herself.

I fought the urge to crack a grin. Leo's face was sheepish and he smiled.

"Obviously." He nudged her shoulder and she grinned wider. When did they become so close? I scowled. The look on her face fell slightly. She was clearly still distraught at the given news. Was she worried?

Her eyes met mine and I looked away. Why did I look away? I mentally punched myself. I gotta get my head in the game. She only looked at you, fool. Only a weak person would cower. _I have to say something._ I looked down to find her still watching me.

"Don't look so scared. It makes you look weak." _I'm an idiot._

"I'm not scared!" She snapped looking away angrily. _Great._

"Leo, we gotta go. Their movement is shifting towards the east side of the city." Donnie was holding his gadget thingy that told us where we were to go to find the enemy. With a nod Leo looked at all of us before running for the exit, Donnie on his heals. I rushed after them with Mikey right behind me.

In the tunnels we swerved left and right, following Donnie and his tracker. My focus was on high alert. I knew where each of my brothers were, never letting them outta my sight. No one would be getting hurt tonight. Not on my watch.

Mikey was beside and I could hear a soft chuckle escape his mouth.

"What Mikey?" I demanded.

"You sure have a way with the ladies. _'It makes you look weak.'_ Real smooth." He laughed.

"Shut yer shell!" I knuckled him on the head. All of a sudden I remembered when he had called me a 'meanie'. That calls for another punch.

"Ow, what was that one for?" He yelped and rubbed his head.

"Guys, we're almost above them." Donnie whispered harshly. All other thoughts aside, we grouped closer together. The tunnels were dark and cold. I could feel the icy air enter my lungs. Winter was the worst for us. Our movements weren't as precise compare to warmer temperatures. As long as we kept moving we would be fine.

Don's arm shot up, pointing to a near ladder. All together we climbed and emerged from the dark sewer tunnels to the freezing night air. The wind could easily be compared to stabbing knives. Seriously, it was really freaking cold. We were decked in an alley, completely swallowed by darkness.

"There." Leo's voice cut through the cold. To our left on the other side of the street we could see shadows moving swiftly about. It was during this time when we each prepped ourselves for what happens next. Leo was going through the plan in his head in every way plausible. He went through all the possibilities and how each outcome would be dealt with. I don't know how he does it. Once again, he's leader for a reason. While Leo figured out what we should do, Donnie was figuring out what the Foot were doing, putting little details together. If Leo's mind was confusing, Donnie's was a chaotic mess of organized information I could never possess. And then there was Mikey.

I turned to my right to find him glued to my side, as he should be. I told him years ago, I never want him anywhere I can't see. He has always remembered.

Mikey was bouncing up and down, preparing himself for the fight the way the movies always told you. You know, jumping up and down, _he's got that covered_, flinging your fists and breathing heavily. Why he did it? Please, if Leo and Donnie's mind were bad… Let's not get into Mikey's

I usually don't need time to prep. I'm always ready for a fight. It has it's pros and cons but at this moment, it was definitely a pro.

Leo: the leader. Donnie: the brains. Mikey: Mikey. And me: the muscle. And there ain't no shame in that if it keeps my brothers alive.

In the corner of my eye I could see Leo motion us to his side. The plan was ready. _Okay. Here we go._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

The silence was almost unbearable. Every second that passed was worse than the last. Afraid to move, I let my eyes pass by my brothers' whereabouts. Probably fearing the same as myself, they had not yet moved a millimeter. I didn't want to meet the girl's gaze again. _Shell, why hasn't she said anything? We must look like monsters to her._

My frustration was beginning to get the better of me. _Someone say something!_

"Uh, hi?"

_Except him. _

Mikey moved his hand an inch to the side and back so as to form some sort of a wave. A nervous grin was plastered on his face. If it weren't for the situation right now, I would probably be laughing my shell off. Mike's face looked like a jumble of emotions: excited enough to pee, terrified enough to pee, and nervous enough to throw up. It was pretty hilarious.

"Whoa. Nope. Didn't expect this." She shook her head and pursed her lips together as if stumped. After a couple of seconds of silence she puffed out her cheeks and widened her eyes looking to the side as if the whole scenario was awkward. With a _pop _from her lips she looked up at me.

"Just making sure my theory is correct, you don't plan on eating me right?" She actually looked concerned.

"That's disgusting! Ugh, why would you think that?" Mikey stuck out his tongue. _Oh, maybe he might throw up._ The girl gave Mikey an incredulous look like he was crazy, yet she seemed to relax all the same.

"So," she was nodding slowly, looking at each of us.

Delayed, my brain turned back on. None of this was normal! There was a human girl in our living room and she was just staring at us. Where was the screaming? Can she not see us? We are green for crying out loud! Does this not freak her out in any way? Cause, this is completely weirding me out. Is she crazy?

"Are you crazy?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Possibly. Or dead. I am staring at four giant turtles." She stated plainly.

"Wha…" I cannot believe her.

"For those first few minutes I was a little worried you guys would attack and eat me or something. But since Orangie here said otherwise, I'm kinda excited. I might even throw up."

"You may still be sick from the virus. It's a miracle that you are alive." Donnie interjected, doctor mode still turned on.

"Yeah, maybe." She nodded and agreed while I shook my head.

"No. No. None of this makes sense. Why aren't you screaming? I don't… I don't get it? Why don't you act normal and be scared. You're almost as stupid as my brothers or even more so." I almost growled at her. She stared at me with wide eyes. _Oh great, I scared her. Well, good. Cause whatever this is, isn't normal._

All of a sudden the girl stood on the couch and poked me on the plastron.

"Don't call me stupid." she frowned hard and definite. Even though she was standing on the couch she was still a foot shorter than I. We glared at each other and now I could see her face more clearly. Her hair was indeed a medium brown and her face had more colour to it than before. There were little dark specks across her cheekbones and nose. What were those called again? Her eyes were a light green and held some pretty extreme anger at the moment.

"Raph." It was Leo's voice that broke whatever daze I was in. I broke our staring contest and glared at my brother.

"This is your fault. What do we do with her?"

"I get to keep her, right?" Mikey beamed and started towards the girl who had now crossed her arms.

"No." Leo grabbed Mikey's bandana and yanked him back.

"But I found her." He whined still reaching for the girl.

"Careful, it might have rabies." I crossed my arms and stuck a thumb in her direction.

"Really?" Mikey tried to see over my shoulder. The girl crashed her teeth together to emphasize my threat. I almost smirked.

"So we're going to throw her out?" Mikey frowned and a new look of concern appeared on his face.

"No."

"Then what?" It was Donnie's turn to ask the questions.

"I don't know."

"I do, we'll chuck her out the back." I added my idea.

"I don't like that idea." Donnie shook his head and Mikey chuckled.

"Neither does she." He smiled widely.

I looked over my shoulder and the girl was practically fuming. Her face was all red and her eyes looked dark with rage.

"She has a name." the girl frowned.

"We don't care." I blurted before she could tell us. There was a moment of hurt on her expression before she regained herself and rolled her eyes. She was a feisty one. _Were all humans like this? I can't believe this is even happening._ I turned to face my brothers with wide eyes, trying to convey that this was insanity.

Donnie was looking from me to the girl every five seconds. He seemed to have worked out all the possibilities and was just waiting for Leader to make the next decision before acting accordingly.

Leo, for once, was completely baffled and appeared to be working over some things in his mind. Probably how crazy this was. I mean, come on! This was weird! There's a human in our living room and she's not screaming!

Mikey was practically buzzing. Excited as ever and obviously wanting to talk to her more. He was smart enough to know that right now wasn't the best time to divulge in his human obsession.

"Do you like pizza?" _I was wrong._

I closed my eyes and sighed. Seriously, I must have dropped Mikey on the head too many times when we were younger.

* * *

><p>I glared as Mikey chowed down on another piece of pizza. The others were tentative as they carefully watched the girl on the far side of the table. At least I wasn't the only one who thought this was a little nuts. The plate that had been placed in front of me was still holding my slice of pizza, though it had long since cooled off. My arms were crossed and my hands, balled into fists. My whole body screamed at the situation but I'd dare not move a single muscle.<p>

The girl was staring at us right back. Every bite she took was a conflict between enjoying the food and keeping her senses wary of the green beasts in front of her. She seemed to have gotten over the fact that we were eating pizza. Like it was some sort of abomination. I didn't understand. Who doesn't like pizza?

"So, what is your name?" Leo asked hesitantly. Without moving my body, my eyes sharpened in his direction. _Now_ Leo was gonna talk?

The girl put her slice of pizza on the plate. It didn't seem she was going to finish.

"Beau." She answered as a-matter-of-factly before eyeing me specifically. She evidently hadn't forgiven my earlier comment.

"Well Beau, you see… this is-" Leo started.

"I'm Mikey. Beau. That's a pretty name." Mikey chuckled. "I like it."

Leo glared at his brother before turning back at the girl. Beau.

"Beau, my name is Leonardo." He placed a hand on his chest then gestured to Mikey. "These are my brothers, Michelangelo, Donatello."

Donnie waved and straightened his glasses.

"And that's Raphael." Leo smiled nervously while eyeing me with careful eyes.

My eyes rolled automatically and yet I couldn't help but glance to the far end of the table. The girl stared at me. Actually, she was glowering at me. I tensed my muscles to keep from shuffling uncomfortably.

"Hello." Her gaze never left my direction. _Seriously, is there something on my face?_ I fought the urge to check and instead continued our staring contest.

"Beau, why were you outside in the middle of January?" Mikey interrupted..

"I was kicked out of the house for not doing well in college." She answered blankly, taking another bite of her pizza as if too keep herself busy.

_What?_

"What?" My brothers had the same thoughts.

"There's not much else to say. My step mom didn't like my grades and that was the last warning. So, I'm out."

She was as calm as can be. _Why would her family do that? That's not what family is supposed to do_. I turned to Leo who seemed to be putting together the situation in his big head of his.

"I'm sorry, man. You can live with us." Mikey beamed as all heads turned to the giant turtle with the orange mask.

"I don't think I should…"

"I agree." Once again, the girl and I were eyeing each other mercilessly. At least we we're on the same page. Her green eyes were holding steady. If the situation had been entirely different, I would be impressed with her ferocity.

It took me a moment to understand the silence encasing the room.

_Oh. _I shuffled uneasily in my seat.

"Now, let's not jump to that conclusion." Leo's eyes narrowed when he caught my eye, warning me to calm my shell.

"Beau, if you can let us think about this for a second," Leader continued.

"Of course."

"Team huddle!" Mikey shouted. At once all four of us jumped from our seats and gathered at the other end of the kitchen. Finally, without the other face in the group I could inspect my brothers' faces. Mikey was an open book, clearly excited. Donnie didn't show any sign against the idea. Leo looked to be thinking things over but it was obvious he was breaking.

"You guys can't actually think this is okay." I voiced my thoughts.

"She's hot." Mikey cooed.

"Mikey," Donnie snapped, "I would think it appropriate to monitor the salubriousness of her constitutional state. And the introspection of accommodation is not completely abominable."

We gawked at our brother waiting for an understandable answer. With a huff, and from what I could tell, a little bit of bashfulness he rubbed his neck.

"I say she can stay." He sighed.

"And she's hot."

"You can't be serious." I rubbed my eyes.

"Shell yeah I'm serious. Look at her. She's smokin. Do you think she'll be my girlfriend?"

"Mikey!" We cried out at together.

"Leo?" I tried. My brother examined the ground then peered in the girl's general direction.

"We," He started then pinched the bridge of his nose, "We let her stay."

"Plus, she's super ho-"

"What?" I almost yelled. "Don't you feel like this is a little rushed? Numb-shell over here finds a human girl, brings her home, and now were just gonna let her stay? Just like that? This isn't some sort of love novel."

"It's three against one. The babe stays!" Mickey whispered excitedly.

* * *

><p>"Urgh!" I growled. My fists clenched and unclenched. <em>This was crazy. How did this happen so fast? How long will she be here? Once again, was this not insane?<em>

I sighed and leaned up against the wall adjacent to my room. The darkness that surrounded me was moist and crisp. I fought the urge to shiver.

Unconsciously my mind drifted to the girl and how she spent who knows how long out in the winter cold. I frowned and brushed my hand over my head. Casting her out to freeze to death in the snow really wasn't something I wanted on my conscious.

_Wow, just like that._ I sighed again. A whole new anger began to well up in my chest.

_I was going to let her die while she was fighting for her life? And then I was going to kick her out into the New York winter to freeze to death?_ I shook my head. _This isn't who I am._ My brothers had realized the danger of her leaving and I, once again, was too caught up in myself to see passed what was really important. I'm not a murderer.

_ "__We're heroes." _

My younger brother's voice rang in my head. I smiled to myself. _Yeah, bro. We're heroes._

* * *

><p>My muscles burned comfortably and the cool air outside the training dojo was welcoming. Ever since I can remember, whenever I've been angry or had something heavy on my mind, training served to clear my head. If my brothers were up for a spare, that was even better.<p>

I rubbed the back of my neck as I walked down the hall.

Donnie was in his room with a breakthrough with one of his projects and Mikey had left with Leo to the surface for some sort of errand Donnie had sent them on. Or something like that. Whatever.

The past week I had barely interacted with my brothers. Probably due to the fact that all they've done is hang around the girl; showing her around, Mikey giving her some human clothes…

_"__Why do you have these?" Donnie held up a burgundy sweater. _

_ "__In case something interesting calls for them. I think this wins the pot." Mikey grinned before adding, "A girl is going to be wearing my clothes."_

_ "__They don't even fit you." Leo shook his head in disbelief at the scenario. _

_ "__They won't fit her. They're all boy clothes. Seriously Mikey?"_

I rolled my eyes at the memory. Yup, everyone's getting all familiar with each other. We're just one great big happy mutant-turtles-and-human-girl family.

"'She kinda reminds me of you. But nicer.'" I quietly mocked my brother's comment made a few days ago.

"Oh really? I wouldn't know. I've purposely been avoiding her the whole thing." I finished my little monologue, just as I turned the corner. The hallway leading to the center of the lair was slightly aglow and a sound coming from the kitchen had me on high alert.

I immediately shifted the weight on my feet as not to make a sound. Exiting the hall, I followed the rounded wall around the center of the lair, still concealed in the shadows.

_Oh shell_, I sighed. The girl was in the kitchen, rummaging through our cupboards. She seemed frustrated until she opened what seemed to be the only cupboard left unopened. _Ah._ There at the top of the cupboard was the cereal: Mikey's cinnamon toast crunch.

With an arm reaching as far up as she could the box was still easily two feet higher. Well, what do you expect with a family of 7foot tall turtles? With nothing to climb on she began jumping as high as her little legs would let her.

An extremely minuscule smile crept over my lips. It could be that this was entertaining as shell or the fact that I really wanted her to succeed and eat all Mikey's favorite cereal. Maybe then they would let her go.

A grunt from the kitchen proved her irritation at her constant failure. This was pathetic.

I couldn't help the hesitation as I took my first few steps forward. My advance was nevertheless carefully silent. There was still time to turn around and leave without my presence ever being known. I was getting closer.

_Should I show myself after a week of ignoring her? Shell._ My steps slowed as I neared the last few meters. _It's too late now._

I stopped right behind her. Today she wore her pants and one of Mikey's huge, oversized man sweaters. The sight was quite amusing.

At once, her stance changed; hands placed on her hips, staring at the tall cupboard fiercely. I gulped inaudibly. If she took one step backwards, we would be pressed against my plastron. Looking down then up at the cereal I could very easily reach, I sighed and raised my arm to grab it.

"Stop!" her voice was loud in the quietness of the lair. I froze and frowned. Can't she see I'm trying to help her? My eyes narrowed down meeting her cold stare.

"I don't need your help." She crossed her arms.

_Really?_ I could hardly hide the annoyed confusion in my face. _Is her shell cracked? Fine. _My arm began to descend when she yelled again.

"Freeze!"

"What?" I yelled back. "You don't want my help. Fine. I'll go."

Before I could move a muscle…

"I said freeze!"

I froze. Why did I freeze? A cold hand grabbed my bicep. Then another made a lung for my forearm. _What? Is she… Is she climbing me? _

My muscles still burned from the recent workout. It took my all not to let my arm fall, her along with it.

Finally her two hands were grasping my outreached hand, only a couple inches from the cereal box. Letting one hand go, she made a grab for the box and let go of her other hand. With a grunt she landed her feet on the ground and fell backwards into my plastron, head knocking back. _Ouch._

"Agh. Ow." She rubbed the back of her head. Stepping forward she turned to face me with a smirk.

"See?" She seemed pleased with herself. Snapping out of whatever frozen trance I was in, I cross my arms.

"And of course you did that all by yourself." _This was unbelievable._

"Did you get it down for me?"

"No, but I… am I something to climb on and then play off?"

"What? Do you not like being disregarded? That's weird. Huh." She moved around my frame then sat at the table. I followed her movements and watched her mercilessly pour the cereal into the bowl. I smirked to myself. _Mission accomplished. Oh Mikey's face…_

"Do you want some?" she asked without looking up.

"No." The answer was automatic and out of habit. I cringed at the harshness of my voice.

"Fine." She seemed completely detached and impassive towards my animosity and began to eat.

Mikey would be even more grieved to find all of his cereal gone compared to just most of it. My thoughts raced and before I knew it I had grabbed another bowl and sat across from the gutsy girl. Not even paying me mind she grabbed the box and dumped it completely upside down, the remaining contents crashing into my bowl.

I raised an eyebrow muscle at the sheer cheeky behavior of the whole ordeal.

It didn't take long before my short attention span reached its limit and the quiet seemed just a little too quiet.

"So, girl…"

"It's Beau."

"I'm pretty sure you're a girl."

"My name. My name's is Beau." She stared incredulously.

_Right. Forgot. _

"Beau." I scoffed. "What kind of a name is that?" I took a huge mouthful of cereal.

"And Rapheal, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo are so much easier."

I almost choked. _Shell, she was right._ With a frown I stood from my seat and walked towards the sink where I tossed my bowl. _Did I just lose a fight?_ I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of losing a fight to a worthless human girl.

"Wait, where are you going?" She stopped eating and watched my every movement.

"None of your concern." My eyes reached her face before I strode off. My frown kept, but I could help but feel a little foul at the sudden melancholy in her expression as I walked away without an explanation.

* * *

><p>In my room I trudged back and forth. I was frustrated and angry. I rubbed my head and unsuccessfully shook the thoughts from my mind. With a growl I grabbed for my sai and threw one across the room into the dartboard, securing it to the wall.<p>

"Why am I angry!" I yelled to myself.

And there you have it: I'm angry at not knowing why I'm angry. Is this what's it's like for my brothers? Not knowing why I'm angry and then getting frustrated?

Am I mad about the girl being here? Still? No.

I sat on the edge of my bed. Am I mad she beat me at my own game? That I was shocked into silence?

Now this may seem a little absurd to some people, but I've never lost a war of tongues to another person in my life. That's what has always got me into trouble: always having the last, heart-stabbing word. This was hardly a heart-stabbing situation. It was the thought of losing the battle.

I chuckled without humor. And I thought I'd come so far. Only to be undone by an innocent comment from a girl.

* * *

><p>"Raph?" Leo's voice woke me from my sleep. <em>When had I fallen asleep?<em>

"Leo." I answered numbly.

"How have you been? We've hardly seen you this passed week." My brother entered my room and stood at the end of my bed. He's already notice the sai sticking out of the dartboard. Thankfully, he's made no comment.

"What's wrong brother?"

"Why is she here?" My words were a lot more biting than I had intended. I could see the patience in my brother's face. There was a time where that patience and calm demeanor had made me absolutely furious. How could he keep so calm and the smallest _anything_ could set me off on a rampage.

Now, I had a whole new respect for everything my brother did. His patience was something I strove to accomplish within myself. It wasn't working out at the moment.

"Raph."

"No, Leo. Did you guys really think this through?" I asked, truly curious. I had no idea what their plan was or anything about the whole situation for that matter.

"We…" Leo trailed off and I waited. I really hoped he would find something to tell me. _Please, anything._

"Nothing?" I shook my head, "There's nothing you can tell me?" I yelled, balling my fists.

"Raph, that's not – did you hear tha-"

"I know, let's just let her live with us forever. Maybe she can be our little sister. How about that? We'll be a big happy family. Four turtles, a rat, and a human. Perfect!" I fumed.

"Raph, keep your voice down. You know she's in the room down the hall?" It wasn't a question.

"Since when?"

"Since she came here. You haven't been around though, so how would you know." the frustration seeping into his voice. My brother veered for the door, obviously having enough of my little temper tantrum.

"Just," he rubbed his temples, a nasty habit I've been pointing out for forever. "Just get to know her. She reminds me a little bit of you." Leo chuckled.

_That's what Donnie said._ I turned my head away and rolled my eyes. The sound of my door closing told me Leo had left.

_Ah shell_, I ran my palm over my face. What was giant turtle to do when upset? Obviously…

"Time to hit the dojo. Again."

* * *

><p>Leaving the dojo for the second time, the ground was cool on my feet. If my muscles didn't ache before, they sure were putting up a fight now. I winced while massaging my sore arm. My muscles haven't burned like this in months, not since the last strong encounter with the Foot. That was indeed a day to remember.<p>

My hand dropped to its side then found one of my new scars. It was almost entirely healed now.

"…It's not that bad. Trust us." A voice sounded from the center of the lair. I recognized it as Don's. I shook my head, _we're they gonna watch another one of Donnie's movies?_

"I shouldn't have stay for as long as I have." The girl replied.

_Oh boy._

"Beau, it's not what you think. Just let him get used to you. I'll talk to him." Leo's voice was concerned.

"And how did that go today? Leo, you were there. He said he doesn't want me here. I saw him only today for the first time since you allowed me to stay. He didn't seem too pleased. Do you really think that's gonna change?"

"You weren't meant to hear any of that. He didn't tell me you guys saw each… Beau. Please, you don't have to go."

_She's leaving?_ I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a little relieved since it has been my goal from the beginning to have her go and keep my family safe. After the initial feeling of relief, there was a small feeling of… guilt?

"I'm leaving."

"Beau," It was Mikey. "Please stay. Who cares what that big meanie says?"

_Oh, he's gonna pay for that later._

"I'm sorry."

My chest felt uncomfortable with hearing my brother's pained voice. Yes, I felt guilt. Guilty, for making my brothers upset. What was I going to do?

_"__Just get to know her."_ Leo's voice came back to me. _We'll we need to be around each other to do that. That won't work if she's gone._ _Ugh_, it was obvious where this was going.

My feet moved me towards the voices. The light was bright compared to the shadows from the hall. My eyes squinted for a second, which probably made me look like I was angry. Great.

"Raph."

In a few more steps I was standing with the group. The girl was wearing her own clothes, the one thing she had with her at the time of arrival.

"Raph, you need to stop her. She's trying to leave." Mikey jumped from where he stood, wrapping his arms around me.

"Leaving?" I asked without needing an answer.

"I'm leaving." She answered anyway. For the second time today I looked at the girl. Her eyes were locked on mine. They were an interesting green. Not too light or too dark. Just right. Freckles! That's what they were called. She was short; six inches lower than my shoulders. She was short, though we haven't had a lot of experience with humans in the first place. Other than the Foot Clan. Let's just say you really wouldn't want them to represent humankind. What she lacked in height she made up for attitude, I could put together that much.

From this close I could see her face clearly. Her eyes were sad and anxious and her mouth, taught. I've already made up my mind. How to execute without looking like a big softy, like Leo; challenging.

"No your not." I said plainly. Her change in expression was immediate. From sad and anxious, to confused and anxious.

"Raph?" Donnie, asked. I turned to my brothers.

"You guys really think we should put a girl on the streets who knows about us? She'll probably blab all about us to anyone she sees. We can't risk that."

"I wouldn't tell any-umph." I clamped my hand around her mouth, covering half of her face. It was…soft.

"We could let her go. Sure. She'll probably freeze the death before she could tell a soul anyway." I could feel her shift uneasily.

"Are you saying she can stay?" Mikey looked up hopefully. I grinned, if you could call it a grin. I don't usually like to smile when everyone can see me. It was weak.

I looked down the length of my arm to the face attached to my hand.

"There's not really a choice."

Her eyes were moist and she wanted to speak but tsk that; I wouldn't move my hand. Her gaze dropped, giving herself time to recompose before I let her go. I pursed my lips together, amused. When she lifted her eyes again, her vision had cleared. I let go.

"Who else is going to cook?" She stated plainly. Mikey almost choked. Everyone laughed.

"You can stay!" Mikey got over himself rather quickly, picking up the girl and swinging her around. She smiled and nodded without words.

A hand fell on my shoulder. Leo nodded and patted my shoulder. It was a gesture he made when he was pleased with one of us. I have come to treasure those moments. I could see Donnie shuffling from side to side, evidently excited. Mikey was a whole new level of excitement. He was all smiles and happiness, even as he was being kicked by the girl demanding to be put down.

"To celebrate we're going to have a games night!" Mikey shouted excitedly.

_No._

* * *

><p>And yet here we are. I frowned even deeper than before, eyeing the ground in frustration. Yes, yes, I saved the day and said she could stay. But why do they need to drag me into a petty games night? At first it sounded promising, maybe a combat match or a training session, or even a trip to the surface and mess up some Foot activity. You know, that kinda fun. But this?<p>

I looked up from the ground were we created a circle while sitting.

"It's just a little bit of an icebreaker. Its called Truth or Dare!" Mikey beamed excitedly. _What._

"Okay I'll go first. Beau, truth or dare!"

"Dare." She didn't miss a beat.

"I dare you to kiss m-"

_Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. _

"The Foot!" Donnie announced, ripping out his T-phone to access the situation. The rest of us were on our feet immediately. Leo was already running towards the screen to locate the whereabouts of the action. Mikey was mumbling and throwing his arms up in frustration. There was no time to figure out what his deal was.

My eyes went to the girl forgotten in the middle of the room. Her gaze shifted uneasily to each of us, trying to put the whole thing together. _Right_. We completely forgot she had no idea about the Foot Clan. Obviously. It's been only a week since she found out giant turtles were living under the ground in the sewers. Surprise, there's a huge pack of evil ninjas that try to destroy the city every now and then.

"Babe!" Mikey shouted, jumping over the couch and grabbing the girl's hands.

"It's Beau." She stated plainly, but noticeably wanting an explanation.

"There's an evil clan of ninja's called the Foot. Sometimes they try and destroy the city."

_Wow. That sounded as smooth as I thought it would be._ I shook my head and rolled my eyes. _Mikey._

"Destroy the city?" She asked.

"Okay, so they've never really got that close. But they are not to be trusted. Okay?"

"And they're extremely dangerous." Leo came back, armed with his katanas. It took me less than a second to realize I hadn't moved since the announcement of the Foot. I frowned at my complete ignorance, bewildered.

"Beau," Leo continued, "I'm afraid there's more to this city that meets the eye."

She crossed her arms and leaned on one leg, her hip jutting out. Serious attitude.

"And four giant turtles didn't give that away at all. I'm glad you cleared that up for me. Thanks Leo." She smirked, clearly amused with herself.

I fought the urge to crack a grin. Leo's face was sheepish and he smiled.

"Obviously." He nudged her shoulder and she grinned wider. When did they become so close? I scowled. The look on her face fell slightly. She was clearly still distraught at the given news. Was she worried?

Her eyes met mine and I looked away. Why did I look away? I mentally punched myself. I gotta get my head in the game. She only looked at you, fool. Only a weak person would cower. _I have to say something._ I looked down to find her still watching me.

"Don't look so scared. It makes you look weak." _I'm an idiot._

"I'm not scared!" She snapped looking away angrily. _Great._

"Leo, we gotta go. Their movement is shifting towards the east side of the city." Donnie was holding his gadget thingy that told us where we were to go to find the enemy. With a nod Leo looked at all of us before running for the exit, Donnie on his heals. I rushed after them with Mikey right behind me.

In the tunnels we swerved left and right, following Donnie and his tracker. My focus was on high alert. I knew where each of my brothers were, never letting them outta my sight. No one would be getting hurt tonight. Not on my watch.

Mikey was beside and I could hear a soft chuckle escape his mouth.

"What Mikey?" I demanded.

"You sure have a way with the ladies. _'It makes you look weak.'_ Real smooth." He laughed.

"Shut yer shell!" I knuckled him on the head. All of a sudden I remembered when he had called me a 'meanie'. That calls for another punch.

"Ow, what was that one for?" He yelped and rubbed his head.

"Guys, we're almost above them." Donnie whispered harshly. All other thoughts aside, we grouped closer together. The tunnels were dark and cold. I could feel the icy air enter my lungs. Winter was the worst for us. Our movements weren't as precise compare to warmer temperatures. As long as we kept moving we would be fine.

Don's arm shot up, pointing to a near ladder. All together we climbed and emerged from the dark sewer tunnels to the freezing night air. The wind could easily be compared to stabbing knives. Seriously, it was really freaking cold. We were decked in an alley, completely swallowed by darkness.

"There." Leo's voice cut through the cold. To our left on the other side of the street we could see shadows moving swiftly about. It was during this time when we each prepped ourselves for what happens next. Leo was going through the plan in his head in every way plausible. He went through all the possibilities and how each outcome would be dealt with. I don't know how he does it. Once again, he's leader for a reason. While Leo figured out what we should do, Donnie was figuring out what the Foot were doing, putting little details together. If Leo's mind was confusing, Donnie's was a chaotic mess of organized information I could never possess. And then there was Mikey.

I turned to my right to find him glued to my side, as he should be. I told him years ago, I never want him anywhere I can't see. He has always remembered.

Mikey was bouncing up and down, preparing himself for the fight the way the movies always told you. You know, jumping up and down, _he's got that covered_, flinging your fists and breathing heavily. Why he did it? Please, if Leo and Donnie's mind were bad… Let's not get into Mikey's

I usually don't need time to prep. I'm always ready for a fight. It has it's pros and cons but at this moment, it was definitely a pro.

Leo: the leader. Donnie: the brains. Mikey: Mikey. And me: the muscle. And there ain't no shame in that if it keeps my brothers alive.

In the corner of my eye I could see Leo motion us to his side. The plan was ready. _Okay. Here we go._


	4. Chapter 4

New questions!

**Q: How old is Beau?**

**A: Beau is 22.**

**Q: How old are the turtles?**

**A: They are in their mid 20's.**

Q: Is Beau southern?

A: No.

Q: Will we get a Beau's POV?

A: No. Well. That's not really my mission with this story. My story is revolving around Raph. Does that mean there won't be any special chapters with Beau's POV? Hmmm. Maybe there will be. But That will be a special.

Q: Will Beau get together with Raph?

A: Fuck yeah.

* * *

><p>I want to THANK you all for taking your time to read this story. Obviously the first couple chapters are always boring as shit. But things do pick up. :) I want this to be realistic. LOL As realistic as giant turtles can be.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

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Chapter 4

I flipped to the next page of the fashion magazine absentmindedly, paying no mind to the pictures within. It was a few years ago that I picked up, for the first time, one of Mikey's fashion magazines. That was also the last time I ever picked up a fashion magazine. Ugh, humans in tight, constricting clothing. Did you know there are a hundred different kinds of pants? There are tight pants, loose pants, pants that didn't even stay on your hips, pants with rips in them. What kind of nonsense is that?

Not too far away Mickey and the girl were arguing about going to the surface. Every once in a while one or the other's voices would raise an octave higher, ripping me away from my thoughts. They'd been at it for almost ten minutes now. For a second I forgot what they were even arguing about. I turned the page. _Oh right_, I rubbed my eyes.

I didn't care to glance as Leo walked in front of me and sat on the other side of the couch. From the glisten on his body I could tell he'd been training. My brother sighed before leaning his head back against the couch.

"I could hear them from the dojo. What are they arguing about?" Leo asked, looking my way. Without meeting his eyes, I held up the magazine nonchalantly.

"Mikey's."

"I thought it was yours." He replied sarcastically.

"Shut up." I smirked. Leo grinned and leaned back into the couch.

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I need clothes!" The girl waltzed up to Leo and jutted a finger to Mikey. "But he won't let me go!"

"Babe, it's dangerous up there. You could get killed and die, or worse… freeze your shell off." Mikey wrapped his arms around himself, shivering at the memory of our threats long ago. _"If you go out there, Mikey, you're shell will freeze and fall off." _I grinned to myself.

"I've lived up there for all my life. I'll be fine."

"What seems to be the commotion?" Donnie arrived just in time.

"I need different clothes. I'm just going to go up to the surface, hit a mall, and come right back!"

"You can wear my clothes!" Mikey practically whined.

"They don't even fit her." Leo gestured to the girl's attire. A big lumpy sweater hung off one side of her shoulders and the pants she wore were too big and ripped at the knees.

"See." She exclaimed excitingly.

"But you leaving, I'm not too sure about." Leo added causing the girl to cross her arms and let out an annoyed breath.

"The statistic likelihood of you willingly disclosing our entity is hardly credible. Unwittingly mentioning our association in a confabulation amidst an individual; plausible."

That didn't sound good.

"Seriously?" She asked as if our sanities were on the brink of a giant collapse.

"Raph?" her tone was hopeful. I almost laughed. Really? What did she expect? If glares could hurt people, we'd all be up in flames. Her eyes found each of us one by one.

"Fine." Her voice was cool and collected. "I'm just going to walk around naked."

In all my years of meditating and practicing complete and utter silence during training, I have never heard such absence of sound, than in this moment right now. Nobody moved or could take their eyes away from the bold human in front of us. I stared at her, aghast and dubious. _She wouldn't. _

With a cheeky smirk and a twirl on her foot, she walked away from the room towards the hall. Our eyes followed her every motion.

Once she was out of sight, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"She wouldn't actually…" Mikey asked uncertainly, yet disgustingly encouraged.

Emerging from the shadows and falling to the ground was the sweater she had just been wearing.

* * *

><p>"There." Donnie handed Leo the binoculars and pointed just left of a lady with hair the size of a basketball. I squinted and found our target. She held a few packages in one arm and a smaller one in the other. People buzzed and trudged around her, paying her no mind. Her sweater was slightly bigger than her frame and her shoes could use replacing. Her dark brown hair fell in a natural wave. It looked to be detangled as best one could without a hairbrush. A hairbrush, probably one of her new purchases.<p>

"Ow, Mikey!" Leo cried as Mikey crawled over him and wedged himself in between Leo and myself.

"She looks like she's having fun." Mikey nudged my side. I grunted and nodded to amuse him. Though, by the looks of it… The girl was smiling brightly and her eyes wouldn't stop scanning each and every store. She did look happy.

"Your plan sucks, Mikey." Donnie sighed and stood up.

"Get down!"

Donnie knelt on his knee and squinted at our youngest brother.

"We're on the highest building around, in the freezing winter, spying on a girl in a mall we can't enter."

"We're not spying. We're watching over her. We're like her guardian angels."

_Guardian angels_, I scoffed.

"Mike. Can we just go home? She knows her way back, she'll be fine." Leo sighed and leaned against the brick wall.

"Does the meaning, 'protectors of the weak' mean anything to you guys? We fight bad guys and laugh in the face of danger."

"You had a stroke at the thought of a naked girl." Donnie crossed his arms.

"That was a sneak attack and couldn't have been foreseen." Mikey mumbled. "Hey, you guys also had a fast change of heart."

"Mikey, we can't have a nak…" Leo cleared his throat and licked his lips before continuing "It would be indecent of us to halt such…human yearnings. Like shopping and stuff." The words sounded unnatural in his mouth.

_Ugh, Leo._ I almost groaned. _This was ridiculous. _I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. The cold air nipped at the top of my head and shoulders. To be completely honest, I was thankful for the time of rest I was given. Three days was enough. _"At least two weeks."_ Donnie had warned when he heard of my miracle recovery. Yeah, there wasn't a change in shell I was going to do nothing for two weeks. Truthfully, I did feel better. My bruises were almost at the stage of fading and I hadn't yet torn my stitches a second time. In a few days they would be off. It was perfect. Everything was perfect except for this situation. After hearing the bold declare, we had rushed her out of the lair and to the nearest mall as soon as mutantly possible. She knew how to get back, she had her T-phone: Mission accomplished. But that didn't seem to ease Mikey in the slightest.

_"What is she gets beaten up and mugged. What if she dies!"_

_ "Mikey, she won't die. No one has that bad of luck."_

_ "She might die." I added to the conversation. Mikey bellowed and cried. _

_ "That's it!" he was quick to bounce back._

_ "We'll watch her from afar."_

_ "We can't go in the mall!" Donnie stated._

_ "There!" Mikey pointed to the nearest building which happened to be taller than the others around. _

And hence, this is where we have ended up. I felt the heat of the sun against my eyelids. It was nice and calming. If the weather was warmer I could easily see myself just sinking down and drifting off to slee…

"Guys. Where is she?" Donnie made a grab for the binoculars.

"You lost my girlfriend?" Mikey squealed.

"She's not you girl-"

"My baby is lost and all alone."

"We'll just split up and find her. Call if you find her. Okay. Let's go."

_Hmm?_ I opened my eyes to find myself alone on the rooftop, completely abandoned._ Well, I'm not complaining. _I stood and stretched my joints carefully. My eyes scanned the rooftop then found the window we had spotted the girl. Leaning against the railing I stared into the window. People, all shapes and sizes walked passed. Some people had darker skin and others had pale skin. Red hair, black hair, blue hair, all different sorts. _Ugh people. _

_ Oh? Oh. Ugh._

From behind one of the kiosks walked the very person I hadn't meant to find. The girl was smiling and talking to one of the people working at the kiosk. _"Unwittingly mentioning our association in a confabulation amidst an individual; plausible."_ Donnie words echoed in my head. Wow, how did I even remember those words?

I glared at her. _She wouldn't mention us. No. Would she?_

"'Oh this is nice.' 'Yes, ma'am we have it in green too.' 'That's perfect. Now I can match the giant turtles I live with in the sewer.'" I mumbled to myself, reading her lips.

The girl smiled politely and turned to leave the kiosk. There was no chance I was going to let her out of my sight. I stood and followed her movements towards a new store. If I could get closer it would be a thousand times easier.

I looked around the building's roof then back at the mall. There was no chance of getting closer unless I was inside. I thought for a second, considering... _Ah. Better not._

Frustrated, I sat on the ledge of the roof and waited for the girl to come out of the store. From where I sat, I could barely see the inside of the store. I craned my neck to see if I could spot anything. Was it another clothing store? Didn't she already go to three? How many stores do these humans need? Is that a knife? She's in a knife store? That's my kinda shopping. Finally something we both have in common. A knife store… That doesn't really add up though. I looked harder and saw a frying pan and a whole rack dedicated to spatulas. _Oh._ A cooking shop. Not nearly as interesting as I thought it was.

After a few minutes the turtle-loving hobo walked out of the store.

_Shoot._ The mall continued while the building I was atop ended in just a few feet. _I'm gonna need to get closer._

My eyes rested on the opposing wall and with a huff I found myself running for the ledge. My foot caught the ledge and propelled my body forward, slamming into the brick wall of the huge shopping center. My grab didn't falter as I climbed to reach the roof. I swung my body over and walked along the flat roof. Don't they usually have a huge skylight or something… _something like that?_

I ran to the center of the roof and peered through the giant, glass skylight in the shape of a squashed rectangle pyramid.

The food court. Down below, hundreds of people sat around tables stuffing their mouths with different ethnicities of food.

My eyes scanned the court for any sign of the girl. _Shell_. I frowned and clenched my fists. My breath was constantly fogging the glass window, making my search even more of a frustration. I wiped the window and peered through the now damp pane. _Oh!_

"Found you." I smirked to myself. Of course I would find her. It was only a matter of time. Just like hide and seek. I was always the winner. My mouth turned down. Most of the time I was the winner. What is it with Leo and being the perfect 10? He's always calm and collected. His fighting skills are off the charts_. Ugh!_

I could feel my pulse begin to rise and my breathing had increased.

_No. Calm down._ I closed my eyes and swallowed. _You've been through this already. _I chuckled. _Old habits die hard._

I let my gaze fall again to the girl in the middle of the food court, sitting all by herself. What Mikey wouldn't give to be with his _girlfriend_ right now.

"Oooh, we're on a date." I mocked, a light grin on my face.

My mind shifted and I frowned at the thought of a giant monster sitting beside and pretty girl. The girl is laughing and then reaches up to pull on the orange bandana. Mikey smiles calmly, so not like him. "You don't need to hide." She tugs until the bandana falls from the green head. She tilts her head to the side and raised the now red bandana. "See?" My face is bare.

I can see my face. I look like a ghost.

I shake my head and stare at the glass window. I can faintly see my reflection. I stared at myself in shock and uncertainty. What brought on those thoughts? I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my head.

I was hesitant to find the girl again, but it didn't take long to find her now eating Chinese food. _You know there's a pizza place just to your left? _Huh. She smiled as she broke the fortune cookie and read the note that was inside. After a few seconds she frowned and looked to be contemplating something. What did that mean? Without a second thought she stuffed the note in her pocket and stood to put her tray away. She kept the note. Does everyone do that?

* * *

><p>I sat on the ledge of the lower buildings close to a children's park. The little wonderer was seated on one of the swings and was listening to her T-phone. Donnie had done some modifications as to enable music on the phone. She could now download any music she wanted at the press of a button. I smirked at the memory of her and Donnie in the lab together.<p>

_"It can do essentially anything."_

_ "Does it play music?"_

_ "It does… not." _

_ "Could it play music?"_

_ "Affirmative."_

_ "Will is play music?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Thanks Donnie!"_

_ "Yeah, haha, anything for you. Well, I mean, not _anything_. Wait no… um…"_

My breath clouded my vision, only for a second before vanishing. _Oh Don_, my breath puffed again. The sun was almost gone and I had forgotten the darkness that came early during the winter months. It could barely be supper at this time. Maybe just.

It had only been a few hours, yet it seemed as though it had been an eternity of shopping. Is this what it would be like to shop with a girl? Who would want to be put in such a situation? _I just don't get it_, I sighed.

A pleasant melody grazed my ears. I looked to the girl and she sang another note.

"Carry on my wayward son…" she drawled off.

"Don't you cry no more. No!" she shouted before slapping a hand to her mouth and looking around. I chuckled. The cold air circled my neck and stung. She wouldn't be out here much longer.

"And I was like, what, what'chu gon'do?" A male's voice was loud down below.

"Damn, man." A second man said.

A foul smell filled my nose. _Ugh_. I looked below and saw two, no, three men pushing each other around, drunk. The ally was mostly concealed in darkness. There was no way for the girl to see them, thankfully. _Guys like you make me sick._

I clenched my fists and tried to think of peaceful thoughts. My eyes found the girl on the swings and I tried to focus on her faint humming.

Mission Status: She likes Chinese food.

All in all I thought today went great without a hitch. I inhaled through my nose and was irritably once again aware of the scum down below.

"…at the swings." My ears picked up a snippet of their conversation.

"Yeah? And you're sure she's alone?"

"Man, do you see anyone around. No."

"Step aside, boys." One pushed the others back and belched. "Let me show you a real man." He stumbled.

I didn't need time to register the other half of the conversation. I landed directly in the front of the drunk fool, concealed in little shadow. Crouched down in front of him, the smell was almost gagging. My chest felt tight but secure. _Whew_.

"Hey you, wait. That was a high jump, buddy. But you should probably move."

"Get outta the way, man."

"Listen dude, get your big fat a – whoa."

I finally stood, towering over the drunkards. Light shone on my face and I could see the look of horror on each of their faces. This. This is what I'm used to; the fear in peoples eyes when they see us.

"What the hell is that thing?" _Thing._

"It's a monster." _Monster._

"I'm not staying here." The last one whimpered and ran off. _Finally, a descent reaction._

"Better stay back, you beast." The guy threw his bottle on the ground and flipped open a knife.

"Joe, let's just go. I don't like this."

"Shut yer trap. This freak is dead." In a second he swung for me. I didn't care to draw this out longer than I had to. With a swift movement I knocked him to the side where he slammed into the wall, knocked out cold.

"Joe!" the last one yelled. _Shh. Don't be so loud or she'll hear you. Idiots._

His eyes met mine and I let out a low growl.

Mouth agape, the man, stumbled backward then ran off, leaving his friend.

"Ugh." I groaned. _This. This is why I don't like humans. They're gross, disgusting, self destructive, pink skinned people._ I could feel my frown deepen as I thought of all the things I've seen humans do. _This is why my brothers and I will never be able to going the surface._ Ilooked up at the dark sky and remembered the girl on the swings.

I walked silently to the corner of the building and peered out from the shadow and the illuminated park. Sure enough, she was still there, swinging happily.

_We will never be apart of your world._

As if on queue, the girl looked up, her gaze was directed to where I was standing. I knew she couldn't see me. I was completely incased in darkness.

With a hop, she grabbed her bags and started walking towards her new destination.

_Oh shell._ I grabbed for my T-phone and pressed 1.

"Raph! Where are y…"

"She's heading back to the lair."

"Got it." Then I heard a muffled 'Retreat'. Before the line went dead.

* * *

><p>Donnie and Mikey were pacing back and forth while Leo tried to play one of Mikey's video games. I sat on the couch on the far side of the great room, while Leo took his place on the floor. His back was against the other sofa; facing the new T.V. Donnie had installed only a month before Mikey's pleasant surprise of a pet arrived. Speaking of arrival…<p>

"And you're sure you saw her heading toward the lair. And how did you of all people find her?" Mikey bounced.

"Relax Mikey, it's only been fifteen minutes since Raph gave us the call." Leo tried to calm his brother while applying his attention elsewhere.

"It's been eighteen minutes, actually." Donnie decided to add to the conversation.

"She might have gotten lost. Donnie you're sure you gave her the right directions?"

"Yes, Mikey."

"And she did take the parka I gave her?"

"Mikey, that's only for when she's in the tunnels. But yes, she did."

"Okay okay." He was silent.

I yawned and draped my arm across the back of the couch. As much as I hated to admit it, they were right. She should have been here already. What could be taking her so long? I know she was heading back here. Did those drunkards find her? I stiffened. I should have made sure she made it all the way here.

I scanned the room. Would they notice if I slipped away? I couldn't see the entrance unless I turned my head around. If I looked now Leo would know something's up. He always knows these things. I have no idea how he does it. He just knows. It's creepy. Over the years I got pretty good at keeping my thoughts to myself… mostly. It's not like we have heart to hearts all the time. Maybe that's why he's so in tuned to our emotions.

_Well, shell._ Looking back isn't an option. I could say I'm thirsty and slip out that way. _Ugh_, that won't work. I just drank a huge glass when we got back.

But if those guys did get her… _Screw it. I'm going to go-_

"Hey guys!" a familiar voice echoed in the hall.

"Hey Beau." Leo was still into his game.

"Beau! Yeah, hey. What took you so lo – I mean, did you have fun shopping? By yourself. Alone." Mikey crossed his arms and sat on the rim of the couch, cool as a cucumber.

"I did. No offense Mikey, but I'm really excited to have new clothes." She was out of breath and she let her tired arms drop the bags.

"Me too." He smiled like an idiot. _Oh Mikey._

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My muscles relaxed and tension seeped out of my body. For some reason I felt relieved and… happy? My face didn't feel so relaxed anymore as I felt a frown take its place.

I could hear the hum of conversation but paid no mind.

_Happy?_ My thoughts raced. _Happy at what? That she's safe? Maybe? Why do you care? Maybe, I hit my head in my sleep and have a concussion. Now that I think about it, my head does feel a little light. I should get Donnie to check out my head. _

The other side of the couch moved and I followed the movement.

"I said, hey." The girl was right at my side.

"What do you want?" the words were out of my mouth before I could even consider what she had actually said.

She smiled and shook her head. Smiled?

"Here, let me see." She reached across the couch and rested her arm on my plastron while she lifted the bandages to inspect the almost healed wound.

"It's fine. It's almost healed." I could feel my muscles tighten involuntarily.

"Whoa there big guy, calm down on the steroids." She laughed; her breath was sweet and fruity. Gum? Wait, steroids?

My face must have changed cause she smiled again and lightly nudged my arm.

"I'm just kidding. Lighten up a bit, Grumpy."

"I'm not always Grumpy." I used the nickname without thought.

"Oh, it that so?" her mouth turned into a smirk. "That's good." She stood without another word and left to join the others.

_That's good._

* * *

><p>It was quiet. I couldn't feel the cold. I couldn't hear anything. No. I am not dead.<p>

Meditating has come to be one of my newer hobbies coming six months now. As a young turtle I could barely keep quiet let alone sit still. It came to Leo naturally and Donnie was pretty good as well. Mikey on the other hand, was physically impossible to keep still. You know, I probably could have done better if Mikey hadn't kept humming or tapping his foot. Honestly? How did the other two ignore him that well?

Now, ignoring Mikey has become easy. For the most part. There will always be that habit of snapping at him. Oh well. We can't all be perfect.

A sound almost like a soft hum dulled my muscles and I felt myself relax inside. Hmm, this is a new relaxation. I must have made it! I am completely in sync with my body! This is amazing. I am completely zoned out.

The humming continued and a soft breeze caress my face. A breeze? I didn't know you could feel things in total zen.

My chest above my plastron began to tingle. Okay, now I'm confused. It was cold. The air that now blew at my chest was becoming more apparent. I was losing focus. All of a sudden reality came crashing and I realized there was someone in front of me.

I was automatic; reflexes were on full alert. My hands raised and grasped the being. I was going to slam them into the pavement when I opened my eyes.

Her eyes were huge. I saw my hand around her throat. A second later I would have drove her into the ground. I swallowed and my whole body felt weak.

"I'm…" I couldn't form words. I let go of her neck, my fingers grazing her cheeks. My eyes wouldn't find her face.

"I'm so so-" I choked on my words and rubbed my neck.

"Hey," her voice was calm. "Hey, look at me."

_No_.

"It's okay. I'm fine. It was my fault. I shouldn't have snuck up on you. I tried to talk to you but you wouldn't wake up."

_ I could have killed you._

"Raph."

_ I can't believe…_

"Raphael."

I looked up habitually. The only other person who called me by my full name was Master Splinter. The reflex was involuntary. I was now face to face with the girl.

She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"It's okay. Yeah?"

Her face looked soft and kind. Her dark brown hair hung over her shoulders and she wore a dark green sweater. I couldn't look away from her eyes. Her lashes were dark and… nice. The little spots on her nose, freckles, they were nice too.

"Okay, now that you seem a little more calm," she reached for my bandage and peeled it off to look at the closed wound. Her hands were cold and I shivered.

"Sorry." She chuckled.

"Don't be sorry." My voice was low. _You shouldn't be sorry. _Okay, so I wasn't over the whole 'almost killing her' yet.

She laughed again. It was a different sound than what I'm used to with my brothers. Her's was higher and more playful and kind.

Her hands traced the slash across my chest and to my arm.

"Looks good. I mean, the wound is healing really well. There will be no helping the scar though. Not that you're a stranger to scars." Her fingers skipped across my chest and to my other arm. She found another scar and her cold finger danced across the ridge it made. Her hand retreated back to the center of my chest and down to the left of my plastron where a chip was missing.

"What happened?" she asked, examining the broken edges.

"I was cocky." I answered to the best I could.

"Was?" She smiled cheekily.

"I'm working on it."

"That's good." _That's good._

"But I don't mind it. You don't need to change. Not as much as what you think." She added. _What does that mea…_

"Let's go. Mikey finished making supper. Then he said something about bringing all your pillows? I don't know." She grabbed my arm and tried to haul me up. I had to stop myself from letting out an amused grin. I decided to get up anyways and follow her to our dining area.

"Faster." She grabbed one of my fingers and tugged me along.

* * *

><p>"A sleepover!" Mikey bellowed, his voice echoing down every tunnel. This is what he meant by bring your sleeping things to the T.V. roomcenter of the lair? We haven't had a 'sleepover' in years. A decade, even.

"What's this, Mikey?" Leo sat on the couch facing T.V. his pillow and blanket in a small bundle under his arm. Donnie was on the other side of the couch and was already positioned for sleep. I had already seated myself on the adjacent couch, my legs left no room for anyone else. The girl has seated herself on the floor and had frowned at me for taking up the whole sofa.

Her blanket was one of our nicer blankets. And it was purple. It was huge compared to her and enveloped her whole. She was a small burrito on the floor, her pillow in her burrito arms.

"We used to do this when we were young guys! During the winter we would have sleepovers cause it was too cold."

"That was when that big storm hit, Mikey." Donnie yawned.

"Hey! Don't question the great Mikey." Mikey jumped to the T.V. and put in a DVD.

"The movie of the night is," he gave himself his own drumroll, "Night at the Museum."

"Seen it."

"Saw it."

"Not a chance." I yawned and crossed my arms. It was a little chilly and I had neglected to bring my blanket.

"Guys." Mikey whined and looked to each of us.

"I'll watch it with you." The girl nodded and rubbed one of her tired eyes.

"Awesome!" My brother beamed and sat next to her, grabbing for his blanket. It didn't take long before the trailers sped by and the movie actually started. My eyes closed and I shuffled myself down into the couch. I can't remember what the movie was about but I hardly believe it was one that I wanted to see again. The noise from the T.V. buzzed, lulling me to the brink of sleep. I could faintly hear the sound of Donnie's even breaths. He didn't snore but he wasn't a quiet sleeper either. That old grandpa was always one of the first to be asleep. It didn't matter when or where; Donnie was out like a light. Leo was probably watching the movie, yet his mind would be off somewhere else like usual.

Time was picking different speeds and I couldn't tell if I was nodding on and off, until I felt myself fall and I woke with a small jolt. My eyes tried to focus on the room and my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the frozen screen, stuck on 'menu'. The movie was over. Why didn't they turn off the T.V.?

To my left I saw Donnie and Leo sleeping on the couch. Below, a snore erupted from my youngest brother. Out like a light.

My body shivered. It was freezing in the lair. A blanket suddenly sounded like a great idea. I moved my legs and my feet touched the ground. I hissed. _So cold._ I stretched before I stood and walked to the tunnel that led to my room. My arm grazed against the wall until I reached my room. Still groggy, I grabbed whichever blanket I could find. When my hand finally found something I tugged and walked out of my dark room into the dark hall, back to the rest of the gang.

When I entered the great room again, the light from the T.V. made it easy to find my way around the others.

I meandered around Mikey and was about to sit back on my couch when I saw a bundle of blanket shivering. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. Of course the ground would be freezing. Those blankets won't do anything to protect you from the cold. I grabbed the burrito in the middle and lifted her up with one hand and placed her on the center of the couch. Without a thought I slinked down to the ground and sat with my back against the couch. I draped the blanket around the top halve of my body and let the rest fall over the girl.

A yawn escaped my lips and my eyes closed in a matter of seconds.


End file.
